
LIFE OP 



GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR, 

THE WHIG CANDIDATE FOR THE PRESIDENCY. 



BY BEN: PERLEY POORE. 



[GEMBKAt, Tatlor's military exploits are not the causes of his popularity; they are only the occasions 
for the ili-iplay of hi^' soniid judgment, energy of character, lofty and pure sense of justice, and incorrupt- 
ible honesty. He Iius as much reputation for what he has written, as fur what he lias done, because cvca 
M'here the compusition is not liis own, the sentiments, motives and feelings are ; and every thing he says, 
as every thing lie does, is raarlied by the purity and loftiness of his own character."— Gewerai Fersi/er f. 
JSmilh, an " ou< and ouC Loco Foco."2 



Zaciiary Taylor's ancestors emigrated 
from England in 1692, to Virginia, the 
Southern parent of those " thirteen old colo- 
nies," that rose suddenly, like the dragon's 
teeth sown by Cadmus, into full grown men ; 
not, however, armed like those fabulons 
warriors, with weapons for their own destruc- 
tion, but with the strength, vigor and intelli- 
gence of the Anglo-Saxon race. His father, 
" Col. Dick Taylor," (as he was familiarly 
called,) was born on the 22d day of Marcii, 
1 744, and after receiving a degree at William 
and Mary College, set off, though still a 
mere boy, to explore the trackless solitudes 
of the banks of the Mississippi. His elder 
brother, Hancock, had been killed by the 
Indians, while surveying for government 
near the falls of the Ohio ; but this did not 
daunt Richard, who traversed the forests as 
far South as ^latchez, returning home alone, 
over a long and dangerous trail. Allied 
with many of those great and good men 
■who graced the palmy days of the Old Do- 
minion, he had strong ties to bind him to 
the home of his fathers ; but like many oth- 
ers, he feared the ultimate effect of the ener- 
vating round of hospitalities which had been 
adopted ficm the mother country, and deter- 
mined to remove to a more primitive region. 

The breaking out of the Kevolutionary 
struggle enlisted his services in behalf of 
those principles, for the support of which 
the delegates of the Colonies had pledged 
" their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred 
honor" — a pledge whidi every Whig, of 
every section of the country, regarded as 
binding him individually. P^lected Colonel 
of a regiment in the Virginia line, he ajiplied 
himself to military affairs and tactics with 
such steadiness, that in less than three 
months he was perfectly master of the com- 
mand which had been entrusted to him. 
He served througliout the struggle, with 
such courage and zeal as to win the com- 
mendation of his superior officers, and par- 



5 ticularly distinguished himself at the passage 

I of the Delaware and battle of Trenton, 

where, fighting by the side of Lieutenant 

j (afterwards President) Munroe, he attracted 

Washington's particular notice. The Vir- 

i ginians were mainly instrumental in gaining 

,• that important victory, which saved Phila- 

i delphia, and raised the drooping spirits of 

the insurgents. 

On the 20th of August, 1779, Col. Taylor 
I received the congratulations of his friends, 
as the happy bridegroom of Sarah Strothcr, 
I then nineteen years of age, to whom Nature 
; had been no niggard in the bestowal of per- 
\ sonal attractions, which adorned a cultivated 
\ mind and a Christian heart. Their family 
I eventually numbered five sons and three 
j daughters — the third sou, Zachary Taylor, 
l was born in Orange county, Virginia, on 
I the 24th of Noveml)er, 1790." 
; In July, 1791, Col. Taylor, accompanied 
by his family, left Virginia, for her eldest 
j daughter, Kentucky, that great State which 
I led the march of civilization Westward, and 
; whose forests had been stained with so 
' many massacres, that it was called the 
: " dark and bloody ground." He settled in 
: Jefferson county, about five miles from 
: Louisville, and two from the Ohio river — 
; one of the leaders of those hardy pioneers 
: who attained such brilliant victories over 
their savage opponents, and the wild luxu- 
riance of untamed nature. Uniting indom- 
itable industry to a rare strength of judg- 
ment, Col. Taylor produced at home all the 
necessaries of life, purchasing neither cloth- 
ing nor food, and was always " beforehand." 
No plantation was better fenced or kept in 
better order than his; and as the forests 
around his humble dwelling fell beneath the 
axe of the settler, to nc replaced in the land- 
scape by smiling fields, the old veteran 
could look around him with the soul-cheer- 
ing satisfaction that in the work of imjirove- 
ment he bad not been a drone in the hire. 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 






Nor were his neighbors unmind'ul of the 
chiims to their esteem of one wiio thus inva- 
riably sustained the character of an upright 
and patriotic citizen. He was elected a 
membei of the convention foV framing the 
constitution of Kentucky; a Kcprcsentative, 
and afterwards Senator, front Jefferson coun- 
ty to the State Legishiture. and a member 
of the electoral colleges which voted for 
Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and Clay. — 
Washington, with whom he had been on 
the most intimate terms in Virginia, finding 
that he maintained his high reputation in 
the home of his adojnion, appointed him 
Collector of the port of Louisville, New Or- 
leans being then a Spanisli province. After 
a long life of industrious labor, for his coun- 
try and for himself, Col. Richard Taylor 
died as lie had lived, an honest man — the 
noblest work of God. 

Meanwiiile, an inmate of a humble log 
cabin, the character of young Zachary was 
formed amidst the hardships and dangers of 
backwoods life. His mother instilled into 
the youthful minds of her sons tliose Chris- 
tian virtues which she practised with exem- 
plary devotedness, and in the long winter 
evenings, when the doors had been Ijarrica- 
ded, and the loaded rifles laid ready to repel 
any attack that might be made by the Indi- 
ans before morning, their father would tell 
them of the Revolution. Not merely to ''show 
how fields were won," but to portray the 
j)atriotisru and integrity of his beloved chief, 
in tlie hope tliat his boys niiglit, following 
the examjde of Washington, be inspired 



plishment. Sharing in the incidents and 
perils of thei>" hunting parties, young Tay- 
lor acquired much practical wisdom, with a 
stalwart constitution. Many are the tradi- 
tions around his home, wliich illustrate his 
cool daring. In tlie Spring of 1806, (when 
Lewis Cass always appeared witli a black 
cockade in his hat, as a proo'' of his federal- 
ism,) Zachary Taylor, after a hard day's 
ploughing in anew " clearing," swam across 
the Ohio river, then filled with floating ice, a 
feat which is cited as surpassing in danger 
and difficulty the far famed exploit of swim- 
ming the Hellespont. 

While thus engaged in agricultural pur- 
suits, Zachary Taylor, with his intimate 
friends, Joseph P. Taylor and George Crog- 
han, (now officers of high rank in eur gallant 
army,) joined a volunteer ritle corps, raised 
as a portion of a force to oppose the suppos- 
ed treasonable designs of Aaron Burr, and 
served in it as sergeant until' the alarm had 
subsided. Soon afterwards came the news 
of the capture of the United States frigate 
Chesapeake by the British frigate Leopard, 
kindling into ablaze the angry feelings that 
the repeated aggressions of the English na- 
tion had raised to so high a pitch. A desire 
to vindicate the outraged honor of his coun- 
try at once took possession of the mind of 
Taylor, and he applied for a commission left 
vacant by the death of his elder brother. 
Mr, James Madison and other influ''ntial 
relatives recommended him highly, and on 
the 3d of May, 1808, President "Jefferson 
sijincd his commission as 1st Lieutenant of 



with those unselfish and ditfident, butdevot- \ the 7th Regiment of United States Infantry. 



cd and fearless sentiments and emotions, 
which arm patriots for noble and sublime 
efforts. New England, even tlicn, sent her 
" schoolmaster atiroad," and the young Tay- 
lors became pupils of Mr. Elisha Ayres, a 
native of Connecticut, who in 1847, then 
upwards of four-score years of age, was re- 
siding at Preston, in the vicinity of Norwich, 
and gave the following account of " young 
Zachary : " 

•• The Kontuckians were tlion a warlike and chiv- 
alrous people, iiiul tlicy were often euiiaiied in offen- 
8ive or delen'^i^'e skirmishes with the Indians. A 
number were Itnown to be in tlie woods not fur dis- 
tant from the school hoine, and, on one occasion, 
one of tlK'iM w,i<shiit, wcariii;; ii Urili-h iiiiiforin. In 
ttu-ir hostilitv to th.- .Vm.Tiian-^. \\\- . w,rc cMU-ou'-ai;- 
c.l and sii^t.iiiii-.l liy tin' Uritlsli .lalliurili.-s on the 
iJortlii'ni frouiiir. There was a 1*1 r. Wliel-^el, in the 
neijililiorhood of the school, who, having been once 
chased bv three or fonr Indians, loaded his rifle while 
ninnini!. and sucoessivtlv shot them all This exploit 
made \\ hetsil famous, and he In came the instructor 
of (he viiiiin.' 01(11 anil liovs in ilu- neighborhood, in 
his moilc (d niaiiilaliiiii. a riiuiiin:.: tire. Among his 
pupils, it is believed, was yomiK Zachary." 

" The child is father to the man," an Eng- 
lish poet tells us; and one can trace in the 
bold, upright career of Gen. Taylor, marks 
of his early intercourse with those adven- 
turous '■ Hunters of Kentucky," who were 
"fit to stand by Nimrod and give direction." 
Daring and untrammelled, they deemed 
themselves the ciiuals of any men, and ac- 
knowledged no superior, while the belief 
that they were capable of doing any reason- 
able act rendered thcni equal to its iiceom- 



Subscquent events have shown that the 
young soldier merited the flattering replies 
given to the President's invariable questions, 
when candidates for public offices were pro- 
posed to him — '■ Is he honest ? — is he faith- 
ful — is he capable ^ " 

Ordered to join his regiment, which was 
then under Gen. Wilkinson, at New Orleans, 
Lieutenant Taylor was there seized with the 
yellow fever, and narrowly escaped death. 
He returned home to recruit his liealth, and 
afterwards repaired to the barracks at Cincin- 
nati, where he studied all the military vvoi-ks 
he could procure, and acquired that thorough 
knowledge of the '• art of war " wliich has 
since enabled him to command with such 
skill. General Harri-on, wiio was then Gov- 
ernor of the North- Western Territory, learn- 
ing the successful efforts of the English 
agents to induce Tccumseh and Olliwachica, 
(belter known as the Prophet,) to league the 
Sliainies and otlter Western tribes to take 
up arms against the United States, marched 
inio the Imiian country. Wiiile on this ex- 
peiiition, in wliich Lieut. Taylor served, ho 
built several stockade forts, and one of them, 
.situated on the Wabash, some fifty miles 
above Vincennes, was named, in honor of 
the commander. Fort Harrison. 

In ISIO, Lieutenant Taylor was married 
to a lady who is described as on ■ of the 
most elegant among the many belles who 
have united their fortunes to those of our 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



country's hrave defenders, and at the same ^ 
time is noted for her hunilile j-ct nnaff'ected 
])ioty, bciii;; a nieinlicr of the Episcopal 
c!iui-cli. Not lon^ after )iis marriage, the 
young Lieutenant was sent on an expedition 
into the Indian country, and so long a time 
elapsed without tiiHiigs of him reacliing his 
f.imily, that they began to fear that he bad 
fallen a victim to bis ]icrilous duty. Tlie 
Secretary of War, however, was so pleased 
with bis devoted actidty that be recommend- 
ed him for promotion, and in 1812, President 
Madison rewarded liim with a Captain's 
commission, attached to which was an order 
appointing him commander of Fort Harri- 
son. 

Captain Taylor, at the head of fifty sol- 
dier-;, arrived at Fort Harrison, in May, 1812. 
On the 19th of June the President, sanc- 
tioned a Declaration of War against Great 
Britain. The young commander strained 
every nerve to place his stockades in a 
proper state of defence ; but owing to the 
pro.ximity of marshy ground, many of his 
men were seized with fever, and between 
labor and skirmishing, the few who escaped 
sickness were soon worn out. Aware of 
this, the Indians imagined that it would be 
an easy matter to exterminate the whole 
garrison, and came, nearly four hundred 
and fifty strong, on the night of the 3d of 
September, when Captain Taylor, debilitated 
himself, had only sixteen men fit for duty. 
The Indians at first attempted to enter the 
fort by stratagem, killing two young men, 
who were making hay in the vicinity, late 
in the evening ; but Capt. Taylor was too 
well acquainted with their manceuvres to 
send out a party for the corpses until the 
next morning. They were found scalped 
and mangled, adding fresh fear to the 
alarmed women who had sought protection 
within the stockade, and greatly embar- 
rassed the few men who could join in the 
limited preparation for defence. 

Ou the evening of the 4tb, the Prophet 
sent a delegation, headed by a white flag, to 
beg admittance into the stockade, under the 
pretence of smoking the jiipe of peace ; but 
Captain Taylor refused to open the gates, 
although he gave them provisions and to- 
bacco. After retreat beating be examined 
each muskot, saw that sixteen rounds of 
ammunition were in each cartridge-box, 
and ordered one of the non-commis>ioned 
ollioers to walk around the inside of the 
stockade during the night, as he was only 
aide to po-^t ttiree sentinels. About eleven 
o'clock, the Indians approached on all sides, 
as it was so dark they could not be per- 
ceived, and having set fire to a store-house, 
gave the war-whoop. Perfectly collected, the 
young coinmander gave orders for extin- 
guishing the flames, but his men were so 
debilitated that they could do but little, and 
some whiskey catching fire, it shot up in 
blue, glaring columns, which rendered the 
scene truly appalling. "' Most of the men," 
says Taylor, in his official report, " immedi- 
ately gave themselves up for lost, and I had 



the greatest difficulty in getting my orders 
executed; and, sir — what from the raging 
of the fire — the yelling and howling of sev- 
eral hundred Indians — the cries of nine 
women and children (a part soldiers' and a 
part citizens' wives, who had taken shelter 
in the fort) — and a desponding of so many 
of the men, which was worse than all — I 
can assure you that my feelings were very 
unpleasant." Two of the stoutest privates 
jumped the pickets and ran off; but Captain 
Taylor was firm, and succeeded in inspiring 
liis feeble garrison with his own courage. 
We copy further from his report : 

" Al.r presence of mimi did riot for a moment for- 
sake me. 1 saw hy tlipnvinf.' oil' part ol'tlie roof that 
joined the blockliouse tliat was on fire, and keeping 
the end perfectly wet, tlie whole row of buildings 
nii^iit be saved, and leave only an entrance of eit;Ii- 
feen or twenty feet for the Indians to enter, after the 
house was consumed ; and that a temporary breast- 
work niiglit be formed to prevent their enterin;; even 
there. 1 convinced the men that tliis could lie ac- 
complished, and it appeared to inspire them with 
new lile ; and never did men act witli more lirmn<ss 
or desperation. Those that were able (while otliers 
kept up a constant tire from the upper blockhouse 
and the two bastions) mounted the roofs of the 
houses, with Doctor Clark at their head, (who acted 
with the greatest llrmness and presence of mind, the 
whole time tlie attack lastel, which wa seven 
hours,) under a shower of bullets, and in less than a 
moment threw off as much of the roof as was neces- 
sary. 'I his was done, with one man killed, and two 
wounded, and I am in hopes neither of them danger- 
ously 'I he man that was killed was a little derang- 
ed, and did not yet olf the house as soon iis directed, 
or he would not have been hurt ; and altliouj.h the 
barracks were several times in a blaze, and an im- 
mense quantity of fire atriinst them, the men used 
such e.xertiun, that t!iey kept it under ; and, before 
dav, raised a temporary breastwork as hi^h as a 
man's head. Altlniugb the hidians continued to 
pour in n heavy Arc of balls, and an innumerable 
qiiantitv of arrows, durini; the whole time the attack 
lasted, in everv part of the parade, I had but one 
othe- man killed — nor any other wounded inside 
the fort — and he lost his life bv hdn;; tan anxicms ; 
he not into one of the gallies in tlie bastions, and 
fired over the pickets, andcalleO out to his comrades 
that he had killed an Indian, and neglecting to stoop 
down in an instant, he was shot. 

" One of the men that jumped the pickets, returned 
an hour before day. and running up towards the 
gate, begfied for God's sake for it to be opened. I 
suspected it to be a stratagem of the Indians to get 
in, as I did not recollect the voice; I directed the 
men in the bastion where I happened to be to shoot 
him, let him be who he would, and one of them tirod 
at him. but fortunately he ran n\> the other bastion, 
w here the v knew his voice, and Doctor t'lark directed 
him to liecldse to the pickets, behind an empty bar- 
ri 1 that hajiiiened to be there, and at dayli:.;ht I had 
hiin let in. His arm was broken in a most slmcking 
manner, w liii b be says was done by the Indians, 
wliiili I su|i|iosc was tlie cause of his returning. I 
think it probable that In; will not recover. 'I he other 
tliev caught ab.iut one hundred and thirty yards from 
thcV'iirrison.and cut him all to pieces. After keep- 
ing up a constant lire until about six o'clock the 
next morning, whi ;h we began t^ return with some 
elfect, after davli.;lit, llnv removed out of reach of 
our guns. .V |iar|v cf tip ni drove up the horses that 
belonged to the citizen- here, and as Ihey ci uld not 
catch'lhera very readily, shot the whole of them in 
our sight, us well as a number of their hogs. 'I hey 
drove olT the whole of the cattle, which amounted 
to si.\lv-tlve head, as well as the public o.\en. 

" 1 had the vacanev tilled up before night, (which 
was made bv tlii> hurnln-' of the blockhouse) with a 
strong row of pickets, w liich I got bv pulling down 
the guard hou-e. We lost the whole of our provis- 
ions, I ut must make out to live upon green com. 
until we can get a supply, which I am in hoped will 
not be long." 

The unaffected manner in which young 
Taylor thus reported his heroic defence of a 
defenceless post, though it does not possess 
the severe stvle and finished terseness of 
his more recent military papers, is marked 
by the same modesty and vigor of thought, 



>1 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



i\nd his victory was on every tongue in the ' 
Western country. Mnjor General Hopkins 
wrote to Gov. Shelhy of Kcntuiky : " The 
firm and almost unparalleled defence of Fort 
Harrison, by Captain Zachary Taylor, has 
raised for him a fabric of character not to 
be effaced by eulogy." He received the 
brevet rank of Major, the first brevet com- 
inis'^ion given by an American President, 
and from that moment his life has been one 
continued scene of victory, under the most 
disadvantageous circumstances. No matter 
how baffling or discouraging have been the 
difficulties to encounter, the energy and 
resolution which he first displayed at Fort 
Harrison have conquered — the word im- 
possible appears to have been omitted from 
his vocabulary, and his men follow him as 
one who carries victory chained to his stand- 
ard. This reputation has the same effect 
in the army as in the navy, where it is well 
known that Decatur or Hull could make 
sailors perform prodigies of valor, who had 
shown the " white feather " under other 
ofTicers. Old Ironsides would be defended 
with ten times as much resolution as the 
ill-fated Chesapeake could have been. In 
tlie navy, or army, or political strife, it is 
half the" battle gained, to have a leader to 
whom sucess is habitual. " Gkkeral 
Taylor never surrenders." 

The defence of Fort Harrison so disheart- 
ened the Indians that Tecumseh was unable 
to carry out his project of exterminating the 
whites," and in several subsequent engage- 
ments. Major Taylor so distinguished him- 
self as to receive the official commendation 
of Major General Hopkins. He was in 
several skirmishes, and accompanied Col. 
Russell several hundred miles up the Mis- 
souri, in the month of November, to secure 
a small settlement on that river, left much 
exposed to the depredations of the savages. 
Three months before the conclusion of the 
war he was placed in command over the 
entire Indiana forces, and received the cheer- 
ing news of peace at Vincennes. This first 
campaign of Taylor was thus prophetically 
summed up by J. C. Breckenbridgc, of 
Kentucky, thirty years since. 

" Wlicn wo look back," contlmios tlio liioirraphcr, 
" on the many iniporUmt services romlereil In- this 
ofllcer to liis country durinj; tlie late war ; when we 
rt'flect on the prculiar perils and liarilshlps to which 
those servicer nin.'tt have perpetiitiUy exposed him, 
performing as he did, in one year, marches to the 
territories of Indiana, Illinois and Alissouri, amount- 
ing tu more than MW miles, and find no solitary 
in:Uaii.c in whieli tin- extent of his uchievements did 
not e.Ncecii till- MUiity measure of his means; we 
cttunot restrain the expnssion of our rei.'ret at his 
detention from those niorious llelds of civilized com- 
bat, where his genius mi^lit liave homo liim to nu- 
hlcr enterprise, an<l liis valor displayed itself on a 
more conspicuous thi'atre. 

" Willi a frame lilted f..r the most active and hardy 
enterprise, an ardent spirit, a santjuinc temper, and 
an invlncil)le eoura^'e, tilted with a rapid discern- 
ment, Hdiscrindiialing judKinenl, and a deep kiiowl- 
eA^o of mankind, and pussissim; a heart susceptililc 
of the most >:eni'rous impulses of humnnlty, we re- 
gard .Major Taylor as an ollicer of peculiar promise, 
and hazard, we think, bit little In the prediclion 
that, in the event of war at no distant period, be- 
tween the I nlled States and Un;;land or Spain, 
ridinu' on the tide of niilitarv kIoO'i he viill Und his 
true level at the head of the army." 

It is bv no means remarkable that one 



who knew General Taylor in his youth, 
should predict that in the event of u war, 
with " England or Spain," — Mexico was 
then Sijain — he would find his true level at 
the head of the army. He has already 
found that level, but it'was not his true one. 
The true level of such a man can never be 
found but at the head of the nation. His 
biographer might well regret the detention 
of such a man from those glorious fields of 
civilized combat, where his services might 
have borne him to a nobler enterprise, and 
his valor displayed itself in a more auspi- 
cious theatre. He has " bided his time," 
and will soon enter upon his true field. 

When the army was remodelled, after the 
cessation of hostilities. Major Taylor found 
himself degraded to the rank of Captain. 
Although he hps never claimed promotion, 
he felt that he could not submit to a rlegra- 
dafion which implied that he had not per- 
formed his duties. He therefore resigned 
his commission and returned to his farm, 
where he purchased stock and made prepar- 
ations to engage in agricultural pursuits. — 
Remonstrances from officers and civilians, 
setting forth the great injustice which had 
been done to Captain Taylor, had their de- 
sired effect, and he was reinstated in his 
former well-earned rank by President Madi- 
son, in 1816, though it is"said that nothing 
but the strong persuasions of those friends 
who had exerted themselves so strenuously 
^ in his behalf, could induce him to leave his 
happy home for the tented field. 

JVlajor Taylor was first ordered to Green 
Bav, at that time far beyond the limits of 
civilization. It is the scene of one of the 
; most characteristic anecdotes of this incom- 
' parable man. whose private virtues farsurpa.ss 
i his military fame. The Paymaster, (as the 
story is told.) received from the government 
' the necessary funds to pay off" the U. States 
; troops, which funds, save a small amount, he 
' exchanged for the bills of J. H. Piatt & Co., 
; Bankers, in the city of Cincinnati. This was 
', a "business transtiction " on private account. 
'. The Paymaster proceeded to Detroit, and 
' there paid off the soldiers in this individual 
; responsibility paper; he then proceeded to 
: Mackinaw, tuid there paid the soldiers in like 
manner; lastly he reached Green Bay. -— 
: Here again the Paymaster, with proper offi- 
\ cial soicmnitv, counted out to Capt. Taylor 
^ the bills of J. H. Piatt & Co., Bankers, for 
' the soldiers. " Old Zack " looked at the 
': " rags " and said : — "Is this (he stuff you in- 
'■ tend to pay us?" The Paymaster tissurcd 

■ him it was the same he had paid to the men 

■ at Detroit and Mackinaw; '• but," says he, 
with a knowing wink, "I have I'nited States 

■ Btitik Bills fon/oii officers." To this Captain 
' Taylor replied: — "Sir. mi/ men can recave 
\ no money tlidt I am umrillinij to take viysclf — 
^ go baric and rjrt us ijood monei/." 

After commanding the post at Green Bay 

for two years, he joined the Southern forre 

\ under Col. Russell, where he remained until 

j 1824, witli the exception of a visit to his wife, 

' when she was dangerously ill. The erection 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACIIAHY TAYLOR. 



of Fort .Tesup, tlic oonstriiction of a military ^ 
road, and other im|joriaiit duties, were per- ■ 
formed in a manner which won for Major j 
Taylor the ap|)rohation of his sujK'rior o(K- : 
oers, while his suhoniinatcs idolized liiin, , 
for although sernpiilously exact in re(iuirin;; 
a faithful performance of their diuies, he 
treated tiiem with fatherly kindness. One 
day. at Fort Jesup. a carpenter, who had 
been sent to fell a tree, thouy;lit that as the 
weather was warm he would in<lul;^e in a 
nap, from which he was awakened hy the 
ringin;,' of an axe, wielde<l in true hackwoods 
style. SprintriniT to his feet, he saw to his 
ara;izement that his commandinj; ofliccr had • 
nearly performed the task which he had neg- : 
lected, and began to stammer forth an ex- ; 
case. " Never mind, my man,'' said Major ■ 
Taylor; "passing accidentally, I saw you ' 
asleep, and knowing that the Lieutenant who : 
is on his way here with a party to cairy this , 
log to the fort, would report you for neglect ; 
of work, I have saved myself the disagreea- | 
ble duty of ordering you to he put in irons. ! 
But mind — don't do so again." i 

Deservedly riopular with his men, Mnjor j 
Taylor had but to advertise for recruits at < 
any place in the Western country, and hun- ; 
dreds flocked to his station ; hut although ; 
he might have remained in the recruiting j 
service for years at Louisville, near his fam- | 
ily, he was not willing that his name should : 
be thus used to entice men into the army, ; 
who might be ill-treated hy the officers of the ; 
regiments to which they would be detailed. 

In 1819 he was made Lieutenant Colonel, 
and after commanding several of those fron- ; 
tier posts which mark the Western limit of ■ 
civilization, was ordered to Washington, to ■ 
s<t as a member of a Board of Army and ; 
Mifitia Officers, convened by the Secretary ; 
of War, to propose a system for organizing ; 
the militia of the nation. General Scott ; 
was President of this commission — the : 
memliers were Brigadier General Eustis, ; 
Lieut. Colonel Taylor, Lieut. Colonel Cut- ; 
ler, and Maj. Nourse, of the regular service ; ■ 
and Mijor General Ca<lwalader, Adjutant : 
General Daniel, and Adjutant General Sum- 
ner, of the militia. Some of the older offi- 
cers wished to keep a portion of the militia 
(or their substitutes.) in constant service, 
but Lieutenant Colonel Taylor opposed this 
approach to a standing army, taking the 
ground that the militia was an institution for 
the defence of homes and firesides, and every 
able-bo<licd man '^houhl be in a state of read- 
iness to act in the hour of danger. He drew 
up an aVile report, which was finally ado]itcd 
by the Board, and approved of by Congress, 
though the bill based upon it still >>lumbers 
in the room of the Committee on the Militia, 
who seerfi to forget the maxim of our p(itrr 
\vatri<^ — " In time of peace prepare for 

ar." 

For the ensuing five years Lieut. Colonel 
Tailor was stationed on the North-western 
frontier, where he occupied the leisure hours 
which a soldier has in "piping times of 
peace," by a course of study which will be of 



great advantage to him in filling theiirst 
civil office in the nation, to which admiring 
thousands now invite him. '-As plain Lieut. 
Colonel Taylor," says one who then knew 
him, " I have often seen him putting his men 
through the battalion drill, on the northern 
banks of the Wisconsin, in the depth of Feb- 
ruary. This would seem only characteristic 
of tlie man, who has since proved himself 
equally ' Hough and Keady,' under the 
scorching sun of the tropics. But, looking 
back, through long years, to many a pleasant 
hour, spent in the well selected library of the 
post, which Colonel Taylor t'.en command- 
ed, we recur now, with singular interest, to 
the agreeable conversations, held in the 
room which was the Colonel's favorite re- 
sort, amid the intervals of duty." And the 
same chronicler of his severe habits of disci- 
pline and study, continues: " Nor will the 
reader think these personal reminiscenc s 
impertinent, when we add that our object in 
recurring to them here is simply to men- 
tion that, remembering alike the wintry drill 
and the snug book room, Taylor's hardihood 
— the idea of which now so readily attaches 
to his sobriquet of Rough and Ready — 
would certainly not then have struck a stran- 
ger as more characteristic than his liberal- 
minded intelligence." 

In 1832 Taylor wiis promoted to the com- 
mand of the 1st Regiment of Infantry, a part 
of the force under General Atkinson, wjjich 
was ordered against the Sac Indians, com- 
manded by Black Hawk, who had commit- 
ted many acts of savage ferocity. After 
pursuing this redoubtable chief through an 
almost impassable wilderness, he was over- 
taken on the " Bad Axe." near the junction 
of the Mississippi and Iowa, and after a des- 
perate action, entirely defeated. Black Hawk 
escaped, but was delivered up in a few weeks 
by some faithless allies, and entrusted to the 
charge of Colonel Taylor, who conveyed him 
to Jefferson Barracks. 

The "Black Hawk War" terminated. 
Colonel Taylor was ordered to the command 
of Fort Crawford, near Prairie du Chien, 
which had been erected under his supcrin- 
tendance. For several years he held the 
responsible post of Indian Agent, in which 
capacity he won the respect and confidence 
of the tribes placed under his care, banishing 
all sellers of " tire water" (whiskey) after 
destroying their poison, aiding the missiona- 
ries in their work of Christian love, and 
showing an honesty and good faith, which 
unfortunately has not characterized all those 
who had the disbursement of the funds 
which should be paid to the red man, as a 
paltry recompense for the home of his fath- 
ers. The biographers of Lewis Cass state 
that when he crossed the Alleghany, he had 
but one dollar in his pocket — yet it is well 
known, that in a few years he was in the 
possession of a colossal fortune. The fee.s 
of a country attorney in the far We^t are 
not large, and wlien once we asked a West- 
ern man how Cass could aflTord to lavish 
money as he did, when aping nobility at 



/ 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



Paris, he replied, with a sif^jnificant wink — 
" Oh ! he WHS an Indian Ajrent. Lifrlit come, 
light goes." The honest name of Zachary 
Taylor has never heeu stained by the breath 
of the slightest reproach, for like the Roman 
matron, he is " ai)ove suspicion." 

In 1832, Lewis Cass, then Secretary of 
War, procured the passage of a fraudulent 
treaty with the Seminole Indians, by which 
they were bound to emigrate west of the 
Mississippi, though it was never signed by 
Micanoj)y and other influential chiefs, who 
had governed the tribe for years. Not hav- 
ing been parties to this |)hin for obtaining 
their hunting grounds, they declared they 
would not leave ; and Osceola indignantly 
exclaimed at the next council, as he drove 
his scalping-knifc into a table, " this ;s the 
only treaty I will execute." '• I am no 
slave," he remarked on another occasion ; 
" my skin is dark, but not black. I am an 
Indian — a Seminole. The white man 
shall not make me black. I will make the 
white man red with blood ; and then black- 
en him in the sun and rain, where the wolf 
shall smell of his bones, and the buzzard 
live upon his flesh." This threat was car- 
ried into execution, and although the Indi- 
ans could not reach the origin of their de- 
cree of banishment, they wreaked a terrible 
vengeance on every wliite, rendering Florida 
a scene of devastation, murder, sorrow and 
distress. The long smothered pas.-ions of 
an oppressed race were let loose, and a war 
of seven years ensued, which will be long 
remembered by those who participated in it, 
although their country was little (ii-;poscd to 
aw.trd thetn the praise they so well deserved. 

The climate, ignorance of the country, 
and the treachery of the enemy, baffled the 
skill of the most zealous and intelligent 
officers. Military science was completely 
defied, and General Scott was arniigncd 
before a Court of Inquiry, held at Frederick, 
^Id., to explain the entire failure of his 
operations, attended with an immense ex- 
j)en(liture of life and money. During the 
sitting of this Court, Colonel Taylor as- 
sumed the entire command of the North- 
western division, belonging to General At- 
kinson, who was a member, and who spoke 
of Colonel Taylor in high terms, as the 
only man who could end the war. After 
the Court had adjourned. General Atkinson 
resumed his comman<l, and the Colonel 
received a furloui:h, but had not been at 
home a fortnight ere he was ordered to join 
General Jesup at Tampa Bay. Govern- 
ment found that something more than pro- 
found military science was necessarv. — 
"The first ijuality of a soldier," said Napo- 
leon, "is constancy in enduring fatigue and 
hardship — courage is the second." 

The high expectation which the Govern- 
ment had of Colonel Taylor'.s success is 
shown in the fact that, immediately on his 
arrival, lie was placed in command of a 
separate column, composed of the 1st, 4th, 
and 6th Infantry, a battery of light artillery 
and the Missouri volunteers. The latter 



had. to use a common phrase, come " to see 
the Elephant," and we extract one from 
numerous anecdotes of Taylor's good na- 
tureil way of governing these "citizen sold- 
iers," contrasting with the autocratical airs 
assumed by others " dressed in a little brief 
authority." 

" Amons the newly arrived volunteers was a TuU 
private, wtn>, heartily .^iik of rainy weather, mud, 
and no sljelter, tirst went to his captain with his 
complaint.s, t>ut, meetiiiK with no particular .syinna- 
thv, resolved to have a talli witli Colnntrl'lavlorliim- 
sell". Arrived rtt t!ie <jijniiiiaMder'.s iiuarter.'i, the 
Colonel was poii ted out to liiin, l>iii lie was rather 
incredulous. ''Thai old fellow Colonel Tavlor? 
Nonsen.se 1" Satisfied, however, that such wa.s ev- 
en the case, he niarcheil up, and rather patrouizingljr 
oixiied his t)usiness. 

" Colonel Taylor, I believe." 

" Yes. sir." 

" Well, Colonel, I'm d— ish glad to see roo — am, 
indeed." The Colonel returned the civility. 

" Colonel, you'll excuse nie, but since I've been 
here I've been doing all I could for you — have in- 
deed; hut the fact !.■» the accommodations are very 
had — they are indeed ; mud, sir ! btngiiixaWe dons 
in it, actually ; and fhe fact Ls, Colonel, I'm a geit- 
tlfn,an's son, and not used to it! " 

'fhe Colonel, no doubt, stronitly impreissed with 
the fact of having a gititleniaii's jum in liis annv, 
expressed his resjret that such an annoyance shouUI 
ever e.\ist,«under any circunijtances, iia a civUi/.ed 
army. 

" Well — but Colonel, what am I to do ?" 

" Why, really, I don't know, unless you take my 
place." 

" Well, now, that's civil — 'tis, indeed. Of course 
don't mean to luni you oiif, but a few hours' «leep — 
a cot, or a liunk, or"aiiything, would be so refresb- 
ing ! Your place — where is it. Colonel ? " 

" Oh, just drop down — «ij/ ichei e about lure— any 
place about camp will answer! " 

'llie look which the " gentleman's son " gave the 
Colonel was rather peculiar. 

" Well, no wonder they call you ' Kough and 
Ready,' said he: and, amid the smiles of all but 
' Kou^h and Heady ' himself, the ' gentleman '3 
Son ' returned to take his chance uf the «eaibt,-r." 

Having perfected his arrangement.*!. Col. 
Taylor marched into the interior frtini Tanv- 
pa Bay, in nearly an Eastern direction, with 
orders '• to attack the enemy wherever found, 
or in whatever numbers." Passing throhgh 
dense thickets of cypress and palmettO', 
over a wet soil, matted with rank heritage. 
Colonel Taylor perseveringly followed the 
savages into one of their most inacce.>.s)bie 
fastnesses. " He came np with theR»," 
says the official report of General Jesjip, 
'■on the Okeechobee, attacked them, and in 
one of the best fought a<-tions known to our 
history gained a complete victory." 1 lie 
action is thus described by one of his biog- 
raphers : 

" On the 2.')lh of Peoember they reached a deitse 
swamp, where tiie enemy were re|>ortod to be in 
forte. Here thev lialti-d. A Aw ste.-s mort' migl.t 
tiring them within range o' a hidden fiX' — that foe 
might be on every side ; and they, abtiut to share 
the fate of I>adc. Yet, led on by Colonel I'aylor, no 
man de.spondi'd 'I he line of battle was funned, and 
tliosc brave men pushed forwanl. To charge an ex- 
posei foe, requirescoo i ess and intrepidity; t<. charge 
a protectee fort, Is the test of veteran abilities; but 
to waile up lo tlie miildle in a swamp, where the rai.k 
gra.ss is waving over head, and an unseen enemv i.n 
every side, implies a degree of courage pos.sc ssed by 
few. Yet this dutv was cheerfully unilerlaken by- 
thai little army. Korgett ng all danger, only eager 
for action, the troops hurried lor»>avd with enthu.sj- 
asin. Ilavinc ,.r ceeded about a quarter of a mi e, 
they entered a wide slougli, which seemed to forbid 
all further progress. .Miandi ning their horses, the 
troops buried fh<ni.«el»es to the nrek in the firass, 
wadinK through a four feet d?ep of slime (.m' water, 

"."suddenl.\ the rustling ol gra.s.- ami spla-h of v^ater 
wfre drowned In th«- n'port.s of hundn-ds of rilles. 
'I he savages were close before them, having reserved 
their Ure until their aim would be certain. Ihere 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



■was a pause, a shouting of ordcra, and tlicn the men 
chariiod fenrlesslv on. Then anotlu-r volley, and 
one i.tiioiT after another sunk (lo« n pale in the agon- 
ies of drath. All around "as one Maze of lire, and 
Vft nu foe appea ed. Mowed down liy scores, their 
intrepid leaders tileedinv on every side, and no chance 
of resisting, the front line faltered, then rolled hack 
and broke The Indians poured after them, yel- 
ling the war-whoop, and liurlin'; one discharpe after ) 
another en the fugitives, until they met the regular 
troops. X'ndisniayed liy audit around, these heroic ; 
men were treading on as coolly ns thoULli on parade. 
Vnflhichinglv their bosoms met the Masting dischar- 
ges of the sa ages, and sunk auiid (lie tangled grass, : 
dving the waving Mades with their life blood. Havoc ; 
raged among the filh infantry to such a degree, that ■ 
the dark, cool water beneath them grew warm and 
red vith their blood, and every man of the foremost 
ranks was shot down. Their leader, the heroic < 
Thompson, while shoutine them on, received a mor- 
tal wound. Adjutant Center, Captain Van .Swearm- i 
};en, and Lieutenant Brooke, found graves beside , 
him. Of five companies in the advance, every mfe- • 
rior officer was killed or disabled ; and of one, only J 
fourmen were uninjured. Still the battle shout went j 
up echoing and breaking among those romantic glades ; 
—still pe.al after peal of rattling musketry hurled forth J 
the torrents of death - and still, m.ingled and groan- ^ 
ing, high bosoms sunk among the scdgv reeds, whde , 
the life-blood oozed blacker and thickerhetween the < 
blades. Andd the horrors of that awful hour, Taylor ; 
■was rushing from rank to rank, exhorting his heroes ; 
to the charge, and thrilling every heart with enthusi- i 
asm. No'w the savages broke in disorder ; then they j 
pau.sed, rallied, and rolled back on their pursuers, j 
vith a furv that appeared irresistible. Again they ; 
vere broken, again thev r.-illied, till the whole swamp j 
seemed to boil with the raiiid movements. Onward, > 
(aster and tinner, Tavlor led his shouting heroes, ; 
bearing down opiwsins; hosts, and sweeping every | 
thing before them. The ground was mashed into 
pools beneath their feet, and the foe were lying in > 
heaps on everv side. ' 

".\t length the Indians ■oere driven from their J 
position to their camp on the borders of Lake Okee- ; 
chohee Here their flank was turned bv Lieutenant J 
Colonol Davenport, and immediately after they de- '. 
livercd a final volley and tied. The pursuit was con- \ 
tinu«d until night. \ 

" The loss of the Americans in this battle was four- > 
teen officers and one huiulred and twenty-four men ; < 
that of the Indians was not ascertained." ; 

This sis;nal victory confirmed Colonel ,• 

Taylor's hi.oh military reputation : but, while ', 

adinirinji his <rallant timl intrepid conduct ; 

on the field of battle, it is more pleasing to ; 

see, by his own report, the tender solicitude : 

he displayed for the wounded. A great oh- j 

jection urjjed n>rainst military men is, that ; 

the scenes of carnajre in which they destroy ^ 
their fellow-creatures, blunt all their tender 

sensiViilities. But the followino; extract from \ 

Colonel Taylor's report shows that his lieart ; 

was yet alive to suft'erino:, and prompt to ; 

alleviate it : — ■ 

'* As fioon as the enemy were comt)letely broken, 
[ofticial report of Okeechobee,] I tunied mv .attention ! 
to taking care of the wounded, to facilitate their re- 
moval to mv baggage, where I ordered an encamp- 
ment to be formed. I directed t^aptain Tavlor to 
cross over to the spot, and empl7)y every individual 
whom he might find there, in constructing a small 
footwav acniss the swamp. This, with gri'at exer- , 
tions, was completed in a short time after dark, when 
all the dead and wounded were ca.ried over in litters 
made for the purpose, with one exception, a private 
of the 4th infantry, who was killed and could not be 
found. 

" .\nd here I trust I mav be permitted to sav, that 
I experienied one of the most trving scenes of mv 
life, and he wlio could have looked on it with iiulif- ; 
ference, his nerves must liave been ditlerently organ- 
ized from mv own. Besides the killed, there lav one 
hundred and twelve wounded officers and soldiers, 
who had acromiianied me one hundretl and forty-five 
miles, most of tlie wav throu'-h an unexplored wil- 
derness, without guide- , "ho had so gallantly beaten 
theenemv under mv orders in his strongest position, 
and who had to be conveved back, through swamps 
and hammocks, from whence we set out, without 
any apparent means of doing so. 'I his senice, how- 
ever, wa-s encountered and overcome, and thev have 
been conveved thus far, and proceeded on lo Tampa 
Bav, on rude litters constructed «ith the knife and 
axe alone, with poles and dry hides — the latter being 



found in great abundance at the encampment of the 
hostiles. The litters were carried on ,he backs of our 
weak and totterir.g horses, aided by the residue of 
the command, with more ease aiul comfort to tlie 
sufl'erers than I could have supposed, and with as 
much as they could have been in ambulances of the 
most improved and modern construction." 

At the time, no particular praise was 
awarded to Colonel Taylor for this humana 
conduct ; hut a renewal of it in after years 
lirought an elotjuent tribute from Senator 
Clayton, which will not be inappropriate 
here: — "I say, therefore, that, from the 
bottom of my heart, I thank the brave, {gen- 
erous and merciful commander of the Amer- 
ican troops. I thank hiui, sir, not only for 
his gallantry and skill, bis conduct and 
bravery, but eminently and above all other 
considerations, as an American Senator, I 
thank him for his humanity ! I honor iiim, 
because he thought of, and spared, feeble and 
; unoffending woman, in that hour of her ut- 
most peril. I honor him, because lie spared 
tottering age and helpless infancy ; and I 
; glory that an American officer has showa 
; himself thus alive to the best feelings of the 
I human heart." 

i It was at this battle that Colonel Taylor 
I is said to have used profane language ; 
i though men who have l)een with him in 
' scenes the most trying, and under the most 
'> provoking circumstances, declare that he 
' never is guilty of uttering an oath. Major 
' Gaines, of Kentucky, said in his speech at 
I Faneuil Hall: — "Taylor does not swear. 
I htvve known him long, have slept in his 
tent, and been on the most intimate terms 
with him ; yet I never heanl him utter a 
profime word. Once, thongli, 1 remember 
iiis telling me he was sorely tried. It was 
at the battle of Okeechobee, where the 
Missouri volunteers were so hard pressed, 
that they fell into disorder, and finally re- 
treated. ' Where are you going '. ' a>;ked 
Colonel Taylor, riding up to their head. 
They said they had been ordered to retreat. 
' You lie, you scoundrels ! ' answered Tay- 
, lor. 'Arid,' said old Zack, 'I believe I 
; cursed them.' " 

Washington, says one of liis eulogists, 
; possessed such violent passions as rarely 
' inhabit the human breast. Several times in 
• his varied and active life, when he was sur- 
prised by the gross cowardice or misconduct 
of individuals on whom he had relied, the 
storm gathered on his brow, usually so se- 
rene, and wrath Hashed forth like lightning 
— as terrible, yet as transient — for in an 
instant he was himself again. Thus con- 
trolled, (and the remark will apply as well 
to Taylor as to Washington.) this impetu- 
osity should not perliaps he regarded as a 
\ failing, but rather as a trial, given, like 
other trials, to afford opportunity for tri- 
umph, glorious in proportion to the strength 
; of the enemy sul)dued. Thus controlled, 
: what does the violence of the tempest prove, 
\ but the divinity of the virtue which rides in 
I and rules it ? 

I The important consequences of the battle 
; of Okeechobee — which, in any other coun- 
l try, would have terminated tlic war — were 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



thus summed up by Colonel Taylor in his ; 
report, on returning to the coast : — ; 

" This column, in six woeks penetrated one liun- ; 

dred aiiil fifty miles Into the enemy's country, opened ; 

roads, and constructed bridges and causewavs, when ! 

necessary, on the greater portion of the route ; es- f 

tablislied two de|)Ots and the necessary defences for j 

the same, and flnallv overtook and beat the enemv, j 

in his strongest position. 'Ihe results of which move- < 

Dient and battle have been, the capture of tliirtv of < 

the ho-itiles, the coining 1" and surrendering; of more / 

than one hundred and fiftv Indians and negroes — ; 

mostly of the former, im ludiiig the chiefs On-la-too- S 

gee, Tus-ta nup-gee, and ( thcr principal men — the ; 

capturing and driving out of the country six hundred ) 

head of cattle, upwards of one hundred head of hor- J 

ses, besides obtaining a thorough knowledge of the ; 

eountry through which we operated, a greater por- '■ 

tion of which was entirely unknown, except to the t 

enemy." ' 



A general order, signed by the Com- 
mander-in-Chief, was issued to the Army, 
complimenting Colonel Taylor and his offi- 
cers for their gallantry, and tendering them 
tiie thanks of the President. This official 
acknowledgment of Taylor's bravery was 
followed, on the S.^th of December, 1837, by 
a commission of Brevet Brigadier General, 
" fur distinguished services at the battle of 
Okeechobee." lie was, at the same time, 
ordered to take up his position at Fort Bas- 
sinoer; and we give an anecdote of him 
while stationed here, that is as amusing as 
it is characteristic : — 

" The General had a favorite horse, which he called 
• Claybank,' a very tine animal, and much attached 
to his ma.ster. But he did not much tancv the musty 
corn often fumishe<l the troops. I lie (Jcneral used 
tti partake of the same fare as his soldiers, and so 
did Claybank, so far as the com was concerned, and 
tliey were both equally dainty. 'Hie (ieneral was 
very fond of hominy, and mustv corn made anything 
hut a pleasant diet. He would subject himself to 
the snsiiicion of ' picking',' to the prejuilici' id' the 
Soldiers, rather than eat it, when not o'miiellcd to. 
Finding that Chiybank understood that business bet- 
ter than he did, he would quietly let him loose 
amongst the sacks of corn. After smelling very care- 
fully, tlie sagacious animal would commence gnaw- 
ing a hide in one that ple;ised him. The General 
Wiiiild |ijtji-ntlv w.-vtiii the manteuvre until be saw 
that ('hLvljaiik h.Td ni.ide a elioiee, then calling his 
Kervant, be wuukl direct him to have Claybank sta- 
bled immediately, for fear he might do mischief; 
■ but," h" would sav, ' as the animiil ha.s eaten a hole 
in the hag, take out a quart or so of the com, and 
make a dish of hondny.' The trick was played for 
siiiiic time, but at la^^t it became known, that when- 
evcr (lav bank gnaweil into a sack, sweet com waa 
to be lound there, and the incident became a stand- 
ing joke during the war, and it was enjoyed hv none 
more heartily than by the subject of it himselif." 

On the 1.5th of March, 18;38, General 
Jcsup relinquished the coniiiiiind of the 
Army of Florida to (Jcncrai Taylor, who 
abaiiiloncd the plan of marching columns 
through the swain)ts, and cotnmciiced divid- 
ing the country into military districts of 
twenty miles square. In tlie centre of each, 
or at the most eligible point, a blockiiouse 
was built, and garrisoned by twenty or thir- 
ty men, a part of them mounted. These 
were to make daily scouting expeditions, 
and the oflicer in command was held rc- 
sponsiitle that the hammocks of his district 
contained no Indians. The General used 
to visit these blockhouses when least ex- 
pected, keejiing their garrisons on the alert, 
and c.xliibitini: a jiorsonnl courage which 
made ilie Indians regard him as a charmed 
man. 'J'he following anecdote illustrates 
this singular disregard of dat gjr: 



"General Tavlor never hesitated to move about 
unattended, and, generally, ^v hen riding out on im- 
portant business, he kept a mile or two aheati of his 
escort. No malterhow manv Indians were prowling 
about, the old General seemed unconscious that they 
would harm him, and often, when only armed par- 
ties could escape attack. General 'ra\ lor would trust 
himself alone, under some wide spreading tree, in 
close proximity w ith the enemy, and thus circum- 
stanced, he would eat his frugal meal, and if desira- 
ble, indulge in a sound sleep. At the time the Indi- 
ans were most troublesome to our troops. General 
'I aiior announced his determination to go from I'ort 
King to Tampa Hay, which journey woubl tak<- him 
through nearly one hundred miles of hostile countrj-. 
'ihe jaunt was considered, by every body, a* a most 
desperate adventure. The morning lor starting came, 
when the (ieneral's travelling companions, Jlajor 
I'.liss* and a young lieutenant, began to look wistfully 
around for the escort. In due time, six dragoons, all 
saddled and bridled, made their appearance. There 
w as a force to meet several thousand w ilv Seminoles, 
who filled up every nook and corner between Fort 
King and Tampa Bay ! After some hesitation, one 
of the General's I riends suggested that the escort was 
not sufficiently strong, and that a requisition should 
be made for a greater force. The General examined 
the appearance of the six dragoons, attentively, for a 
moment, and then remarked, if the number, was not 
suthcient, two more jnight be added to it." 

The general orders issued from the War 
Department, in November, 1839, announcetJ 
that " General Taylor, by the zealous and 
intelligent discharoe of his duties, having 
given satisfaction to the Department, he will 
continue in command." During another 
year he continued to carry out his system of 
warfare, by means of which many small par- 
ties were captured or voluntarily surrender- 
ed. Yet as the number of the savages di- 
minished, the vindictive cruelty of the sur- 
vivors increased. Fathers were shot in the 
presence of their families, the heads of in- 
fants were dashed against stones before their 
mothers, the white flag enticed victims into 
ambush, iuid incendiary lircs lighted the 
yelling barbarians in their fiendish deeds. 
The boldest hearts became discouraged, and 
one who served there may l>e permitted to 
say, that as an officer went a!)out at the 
hesid of his small commaml of ragged scouts, 
he resembled a bandit chief more than a 
defender of a civilized country. "The only 
stars over his hctid were the stars of heaven, 
the only strii)cs were lacerated feet, by wad- 
ing swamps and saw-palmetto liammtM-ks, 
and the onl> sound which welcomed him 
home after his toils, was the vulvar abuse of 
the inexperienced." Fifteen hundred and 
forty-nine gallant spirits j)iissed to another 
ami better world, where every man is re- 
warded according to his deserts. 

Tiie noble example of General Taylor 
sustained his men among their perilous hard- 



• Major B11.S8 is the son of Captain. John Bli.ss, who, 
with his wife, were natives of l^'banon. New Ilam(>- 
Rhlre, but moved to Whitehall, New-York, just be- 
fore the last war, where W. \V. .S. Hllss wi»s lioni. 
After serving through it, Captain iJliss went to Mobile 
I'oint, to superintend the building of fortitlcalions, 
where he sliorth' after died. His widow rrtunied to 
Lebanon, where her greatest care was to watch the 
budding of the mind of her onlv son, and to train him 
for future usefulness. In the fidi after he whs fourteen 
years of age, he went to West I'oint, where, in due 
time, he graduated, and has since become di-itinguish- 
ed in the service of his countrv. He was ever his 
m<dher's pride, and he delighted to honor her, an all 
truly noble men do. But bis l.ist visii, covered with 
glory won In Mexico, proved the cause of her death. 
11 was an event which she had anticipated with a 
great deal of pleasure, and she sank uniter the ex- 
citement It occasioned, or Major Uliss, as (Jeneral 
Taylor's favorite aid, it may be said — " Like master, 
like luau." 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACIIARY TAYLOR 



ships, anrl no one could think of complaining, 
after seeing his small tent, which \vc shouhl 
like to see reproduccil, side-hy-side with tiie 
{jilded saloons in the rue Matijrnon, where 
Lewis Cass, then Minister at I'aris, enter- 
tained his ari<tocratic friends There must 
have l)cen a difference, also, in the personal 
appearance of the two ; — one decked out 
in tiie gold-embroidered cmtit lii-en/, which 
Franklin refused to put on, hut which Cass 
not only wore himself, hut made all his 
countrymen wliom he presented at Court 
wear, to please the regal ideas of his friend, 
that fahc democrat. Louis Philippe. The 
other, less ambitious, is portrayed in the 
following capital story : — 

" Durinpr the Florida cinipaijni, a certain young 
officer, after rcceiviiiir Ills commission, was ordered 
to join flie armv in tliat quarter. His first duty was, 
of course, to report tiim-ielt to General'! avior. " After 
a very tedious journey, however, throu;;h the woods, 
our officer arrived at a small shanty, called a tavern, 
about tifty miles from head-quarters, where he 
thoufjht proper to stay three davs. 'I here were only 
two visitors there hesides himself. One of them, an 
oldish, shahhy-lookin;; man, with a hlack hat, minus 
part of tlie crown, and a piece of twine for a ril;bon. 
was very inquisitive, and, amonj; other things, asked 
our officer what excuse he intended to make for his 
delav in reporting himself to the Cieneial. 

" ' Oh, 'said the othcer, • they sav Taylor is a very 
♦"asv old soul, and I can easilv make np an excuse.' 
On !.'Oin},'to hod tliat ni-lit, tlie otliccr asked the land- 
lord who that impudent, inquisitive olit lellow was? 
*\VIiv,' said the host, 'don't you know General 
Taylor?' About an hour afterwards, at midni^ilit, 
the tramp of a horse's feet was heard, making quick 
tracks towards liead-quarters." 

In 1840, General Taylor, at liis own re- 
quest, was relieved i)y General Armistead, 
and received a furlough, which he improved 
by visiting the New Engfand States. His 
gentlemanly deportment while an inmate of 
the Maverick House, at f^ast Boston, is well 
remembered by tiiose who were there at tlie 
time with hitn, and they recall many com- 
plimentary remarks which he made after h'a 
solitary strolls through the Trcmont city. 
This was not Lewis Cass's style of travelling. 
For lie had Old Ironsides placed at his dis- 
position, and sailed about the Mediterranean 
at Uncle Sam's expense, with his family and 
a suite of uniformed young gentlemen, whose 
comfhct towards the gallant tars, who were 
thus subservient to a " deiTiocratic " pleasure 
seeker, was, if we mistake not, so resented 
that an appeal to arms was talked of. 

General Taybr was too valuable a man 
to be permitted to remain idle, and he was 
appointed to tlie command of the first Mili- 
tary Division, wliich includes the South- 
western fnmtier. Fort Jesup was for two 
years his head-quarters, and the chaplain 
furnishes valuable testimony as to his mora! 
character, for there was the place to study 
it. In garrison, away from civilization, men 
are seen in their true liirht— everv good or 
bad trait manifesting itself — and the follow- 
ing plain statements are golden proofs. 

" General Tavlor was (wo years at Fort .lesup, as 
the commander of KiOO men, manv of wliom were 
amont; the worst of the race ; in that fort, swearing 
was as eominon as plumes; the very moral sense 
seemed to demand an oath as a test of a t'entleman. 
Tlie chaidain who was with Gen. T. durinj; his wlnde 
connnand, and saw him under circumstances of the 
ereatest provocation, savs he never heard an oath 
?rom his lips. His principles and practice in tliis 
respect are known to the whole army. 



" Gen. Tavlor Is a strict teetotaller. lie ennfomns 
to the customs of the armv, and keeps on his sidc- 
lioard such liquors as arc drank in tin- armv : Inil lie 
pledges his ollicer- onlv in cold water. At th<' close 
of a parade, it is etir|uetle on the part of the officers 
to call at head-quarters and pay respect to the com- 
mancUr ill-chief It Is etiquette on the part of the 
coiiimaiuler to allow the officers to drink his health. 
It lias been Gen. 'laylor's custom for years, to pour 
out his ^lass of cold water, and drink the lualth of 
his staff alone. When lie assumed the command of 
Kort Jesup, he found intemperance to be the pre- 
vailiiiKsin. Whipping, imi>nsonment and tines had 
been exhausted. It was proposed to attempt to re- 
form the men. Gen. 'I'avlor >:ave tlie chaplain his 
warm co-operation by authoritv and example. A 
chauRe was seen at once ; and in less than two years, 
more than 600 reformed men "narched in procession, 
with liadKcsand banners. .So. e of them who joined 
the armv because of their intemperance, obtained 
their discharge through Gen. I'aylor, and returned 
home to their families sober men. Some of them are 
in Kood business in 15oston at this time. 

"Gen. Tavlor is a friend to tlie Sabbath and to 
public worship. You cannot jud{,'e men severely 
who are in the hand of committees, as Gen. I'aylor 
was at New Orleans, on his return from .Mexico. Bv 
such a rule J. Q. Adams, Mr. Webster, and others 
must be set down as enemies to the Sabbath ; a sin- 
tile act, over which, as public men, they had no con- 
trol, must weigh more than a long life. It is a com- 
mon thing for officers in the armv to take exercise 
on the .Sabbath, by walking or riding after public 
worship. During the whole time he was at Kort 
Jesup, the chaplain says he never saw (ieneral Tav- 
lor riding for exercise, nor so much as walking before 
Ids quarters. He regarded the Sabbath as essential 
to good order and morals, and he threw the force of 
his example fully in its favor. He was regular and 
devout at worship. Whenever the chaplain preached, 
whoever else was absent, Gen. Taylor was in his 
place." 

How different would be the testimony of 
the chajjlains who were stationed in the 
"Halls of the Monteznmas " during the Gov- 
ernorship of General Butler, the Loco Foco 
candidate for the Vice Presidency, if callerl 
upon to state how he observed the Sabbath ! 
if the correspondent of the New Orleans 
Crescent may be credited, (and " Chap- 
paral's " letters have a truthful reputation.) 
the would-be I'lcf President, while Com- 
mander-in-Chief of our army, violated Gad's 
holy law by attending a horse-race on Sun- 
day, and sank his official dignity by coun- 
tenancing by his presence a party of gam- 
blers. This gross act of immorality is 
chi'onicled in the following extract, which 
we commend to the particular attention of 
those enemies of Henry Clay, who per- 
suaded many good Christians not to give 
him their votes, because, as they falsely- 
asserted, he once played "poker" on board 
of a Mississippi steamer on the Lord's day. 

" There was a regular row at the racecourse on 
Sundav. Many persons were out there, and among 
them the General-in-Chief. 'Ihcre was some loiU 
riding or jockeying, which caused nianv fl^jhis and 
blooilv noses. '\ partv of gamblers made a ni'-e, and 
entered a fine horse, which was the favorite with 
evi'r\iioilv, and everybodv tried to bet on him — 
some ^oiiij; asliigh as tlve to one — but the favorite 
didn't win, ami the io< keving was so palpable that a 
row was commenceil at once The stand >;ave way 
while Gen. Hutlcr was upon it, but fortunately no 
one wa-s seriously hurt." 

In May, 1845, it was whispered that Pres- 
ident Poik intended to secure his reelection 
by jdunging the nation into a l)loody and 
expensive contest, a fatal step which he was 
urtred on to take liy Lewis Cass, who de- 
clarcil that " ire iniqlit sinilluw tho irhole of 
McTico without belvijhuit hi) it.'' How differ- 
ent are the sentiments of General Taylor, 
who, too old and brave a soldier to be daz- 
zled by that phantom called military glory, 



i 



10 



LIFE OF GEX. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



is ready, (wc quote his own words.) to " .sin- 
cerely rejoice at tlie prospect of PEACP2. 
IVIy life, (lie says.) has heen devoted to arms, 
yet I look upon war at all times and nn<ler 
all circumstances, as a national calamity, to 
be avoided if compiitihlc with national honor. 
The principles of our Government, as well 
as its true policy, are opposed to the suhju- 
gation of other nations, and the disniemlier- 
ment of other countries hy coiKincst. In the 
lan<;uaj,'e of tlic ^reat A\'a-;liiiiL;ton, 'why 
sliould we (piit our own to stand on foreign 
grounil?'" Had these sound views been 
carried out by President Polk, the country 
■would not have been involved in delit, nor 
woiihl thousand's have mourned over the 
cruel losses which they have sustained. Put 
tlierc •' is a divinity that shapes our ends, 
rough-hew them as we will," and so Mr. 
Polk found it when he overlooked General 
Scott, lest lie should win new laurels and 
become a dangerous rival for the Presidency, 
to place a man little known in command. 
General Coombs says that he firmly believes 
that it is an overi'uling Providence that has 
baffled all the schemes of aggrandisement 
and usurpation, which the authors of this 
war originated for their own benefit. Gen- 
eral Scott was '■ headed," but General Tay- 
lor went forward to the discharge of his duty, 
and won the fame and confidence which, in 
.spite of the intentions of President Polk, 
has made him the very rival he so much 
feare<l ! 

General Taylor's first orders from the 
Secretary of War, after the President had 
determined to commence hostilities on his 
own resiKHisjIiility, directed him to have the 
forces under his command, or which might 
be assigned to it, put into a position which 
would enable him to give Texas '' a defen'-e 
from f'oreii/n invasion and Indian incursions." 
Subsequent instructions gave him as an 
ultimate jjoint, the Pio Grande del Norte, 
as " Texas must be protected from hostile 
iinrixion," and he left for that jioint, relin- 
quishing the pleasure he had atiticijiated 
from seeinir his son, then in college at A'^ew- 
riaven. Tiiat he little thought it was the 
intention of Government to place him in a 
dangerous position, with only troops enough 
to tcnijit the Mexicans to attack him, and 
then to commence an aggressive war, is ev- 
ident from his last despatch to the War De- 
j)artment, prior to his sailing from Ncw- 
Urlcans. 

Nkw Oki.eans, July 20, 1845. 
Sin : I rosppctfiilly jtckno\vlr(lj;p your cominunlf a- 
tloii (if Julv 8, oiverln;; the in<tni( tidiis of llic .Sec- 
rcliiry of Wurof the same ilaie, rclativr to the Jlexl- 
can scttleiiieiilsdii (his side uftlie Itiutirailde. 'I liose 
iiistriiLtJDiia will t)e eioseiv obeyed : and the depart- 
ment may rest itssured that I will talie no slop lo 
internipl (lie friendly relations between the I'nited 
Staten :ind .Me.xleo. I am urutllied at retclvinu tlie.so 
ln^tr Klions, us they contlrm my vle«s, previously 
coninuiideiited, In rejjar I to the "proper line to be oc- 
cupied at present by our troops. 

lum, sir, very respeetlnlly. 

Your obedient scr\'anf, 

Z. TAYLOR, 
Brevet Brig. Gen. V. S. A., commanding. 

The army of occupation passed six months 
in camp at Corpus Christi, where General 



Taylor drilled his new forces info a state of 
admirable discipline, and inspired them by 
his fr. nk and gallant bearing with that con- 
fidence in their leader which contributes so 
largely to military success. Nor wa.s he less 
mindful of the morals of his men, breaking 
up the faro-banks and groggcries which a 
gang of rowdy camp-followers repeatedly 
cnde.ivorcd to establish clandestinely, until 
the General's patience was exhausted. — 
•' Take those sjiorting men," said he to an 
officer, " and send them where they will not 
bother us any more." " But where can I 
send them, General ? " '' Uii ! anywhere. 
Send them to the United States." In March, 
184G, the General crossed the vast wilderness 
lying between the Nueces and the Rio 
Grande, fording a wide arm of the sea, 
which the Mexicans threatened to defend, 
but retreated on the approach of the Ameri- 
cans. " While on this march," says the Gen- 
eral, in an official letter, '• it was my earnest 
desire to execute my instructions in a pacific 
manner — to observe the utmost regard for 
the personal rights of all citizens, and to take 
care that the relioion and customs of the 
people sliould sutler no violation." Arriv- 
ing at Point Isabel, the Americans found 
the buildings set on fire, and the Mexican 
authorities treating them as enemies; yet 
General Taylor had no wish to precipitate 
his country into a bloody war, and we find 
him writing to the Mexican commander: 

"Notwithstanding these repeated assurances on 
tlie part of tlie Me.xiian authorilies, and notwith- 
standing' the most obviously luistile preparations on 
tlic lifilit bank of ihe river, aieompaiiit'd by a rlxiil 
non-iiilortoursr, I c-urcfiillv :ib.;iuiiuMl from any act 
of liostility — detrrminid that the onus of producing 
an actual state ol lioslilities sliould not rest w ith me. 
(Jui- relations roniaincd in this state until I had tho 
honor to receive your note of the 12th Inst. , in which 
you dcnouiKe war a< tlie aileniative of my remaining 
in lliis luisitiup, Vs 1 roulil iicit.iuuli'r uiv instnu-Iiinis, 
rrcedc from iiiv position, I acceiiti-d the alleniallvo 
you oilerei! me, and made all m\ dispositions to meet 
it suitably." 

Establishing a depot at Point Isabel, 
General Taylor pnrsueil his march up the 
left bank of the l\io Grande, and on the 
28th of March planted the national flag 
o[)posite Miitamoras, where he erected Fort 
Brown. Hostilities were now i ommenced 
liy an attack on a reconnoitering party, and 
it soon becoming evident that it was the in- 
tention of the I\lexicans to capture Point 
Isabel, General Taylor resolved on march- 
ing to relieve it with his whole force, except 
a small garrison left in the fort. This the 
Mexicans exulted over as a retreat. 

On the evening of the 7th of May, Gen. 
Taylor set out from Point Isabel, nt the 
head of twenty-one Imndicd men, with a 
full determination to tiu'ht the Mexicans, if 
tlicy opposed bis return to Fort Brown, 
whose dce|)-iiiouthed cannon were heard at 
intervals, — 

" GlvlnfT proof through tho night that our fl.ig was 
still there," 

The troops bivouacked towards morning ; 
and resuming their march at sunrise, came 
in sight of Arista's line at noon, drawn up 
in battle array, at the farther side of a prairie, 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACIIARY TAYLOR. 



11 



Lchind wliich rose a dwarfisli wood, known 
as El Palo Alto. After an hour's rest, Gen. 
Taj-lor's forces advanced by columns to- 
ward the enemy : — 

" Finn paced and slow, a fearless front they form ; 
Still as tlio breeze but dreadful as the storm." 

When within about seven hundred yards, 
the Mexican artillery opened their fire — 
Duncan's and liinj^^j^'old's batteries returned 
it — the cannonade became severe — the 
Mexican lancers advanced in terrible array 
— and after a fierce and san<;uinary strug- 
gle, the American arms were crowned with 
victory. Six hundred Mexicans remained 
on the field, after their comrades had fled — 
but they were dead or wounded — wiiile the 
American loss was but nine killed, and for- 
ty-four wounded. Such was the result of 
the first battle of the campaign — an action 
whii'h astonished the traineii veterans of 
Europe, and tilled the iicart of every true 
American with joy. Whether the war was 
just or unjust. Pal ) Alto's field jnoved that 
Americans, led by a brave chieftain, are 
capalile of defending the " stars and stripes" 
against a fearful odds 1 

Sending his wounded back to Point Isa- 
bel under a strong guard. General Taylor 
advanced the next morning in battle array, 
and found the enemy awaiting him at La 
Resaca de hi Palma, a ravine crossing the 
road at right angles, where they had thrown 
up breastworks. It was a daring act, to 
romhnt six thousand veterans, entrenched 
in a cliosen position, strongly defended with 
artillery, with about two thousaiui ; and 
there was some hesitation, in a council of 
war, about tlie propriety of going on. Gen. 
Tavlor patiently heard what all had to say, 
and then drily remarked : " I promised tlie 
boys thc-y should go to Fort Brown, and they 
must go." He had written to the Depart- 
ment, before leaving Point Isabel : "' If the 
enemy oppose my march, in whatever num- 
bers, I shall fight him;" and now laid his 
plans for attack with cool sagacity. An 
officer who had always lieen very pi-ominent 
on jiarade and in councils of war, was or- 
dered to deploy his regiment on the enemy's 
flank. Not over-delighted with the pros- 
pect of tscope'ia shots, the Colonel stam- 
mere(i out a recjucst to know what his men 
siionld fall back on, if repuNcd ! •'They 
never will be repulsed," said General Tay- 
lor ; " and if yoti wish to retreat, /iiW hath on 
New Oiimns I " 

The battle raged with intense fury ; and 
loud above the sharp rattle of the musketry 
and the deep din of the artillery, was heard 
the loud cheering of the Americans, as Gen. 
Tnyliir inspired them with fresh ardor, by 
Animated remarks and daring courage. 

" It was a florious .sight to see, 

For one who had no friend, no brother there." 

And the bold charges of Captain May, 
whose dragoons dashed through the enemy's 
ranks like the wing of the destroying angel, 
decitled the day. The Mexicans tied in 
great disorder, leaving their camp cciuijnt- 



ges and equipments. Their loss was esti- 
mated at one thousand ; and General Vega, 
their bravest leader, was captured, and 
brought to General Taylor. Shaking his 
captive's hand, the victor kindly said to 
nim : •' I do assure you. General Vega, that 
I regret this misfortune has fallen upon you. 
I regret it sincerely, and insist on returning 
you the sword which you yielded up when 
captured, after having this day wielded it 
with so much gallantry." Genei^al Vega 
was an inmate of the commander's tent, 
until he was sent to New Orleans, carrying 
with him a letter of introduction to General 
Gaines from General Taylor, who also 
added a letter of credit on bis banker. 

While attentive to his own troo[)s, Gen- 
eral Taylor ordered the surgeons to attend 
to tite wounded Mexicans, abandoned to 
die in lingering agony, saying: "Keep an 
account of all that you disburse i\n- them, 
and of what medicine they have from the 
army clicsts — if the War Department grum- 
ble, I'll foot the bills." He then retnrned to 
Point Isabel, in order to arrange a combined 
attack on Matamoras, with Commodore 
Conner. Their interview is thus humor- 
ously described : — 

"The sin<riilar simplicity that marks Ocrieral Tay- 
lor's |)crsoiial appearance an'l habits, lias become * 
subject of universal lame. It is curious that asoldier, 
so eminent in all tlie qualities of discipline, shoul d 
be so citizen-loolvinp in his own appearance. Comma- 
dore I'onner, on the contrarv, is an othcer that is not 
only strict in his dress, but has an e,\tra nicetv about 
it. He appears in full and splendid uiiifonn on all 
public occasions — bein;-' the exact contrast, in thii 
jjarticular, of Oeneral tavlor. 

"At the proper time, Commodore Conner sent 
■word to (ieneral Tavlor that he would come on shoro 
to pav hima visit of ccremonv. 'I his put 'Old Kougb 
and Ueadv ' into a tninindous excitement. IfCoiii- 
inodore Conner had (luiclls- come up to his tent, and 
f-'iven him a sailor's >;rip, and sat down on a cuiim 
chest, and talkeil over matters in an old fa<hioneiJ 
wa\ , ticneral Tavlor would have been prepared ; but 
to have the most carefiillv dri ssedcdlicer in ournavy, 
commanding the tiiiest ileet, come in fuU uniform — 
surrounded bv all Die !;littcrin;4 i)omp of splendiiJ 
eiiuipmcnls — to pav a visit of ceremony, was mora 
than General Tavlor had, without some effort, nervo 
to {;o throuth with; but, ever equal to all emcn;en- 
cies, he determined to compliniert Commodon- Con- 
ner, and tlirom:Ii him the navy, by afpeiinug m Jul! 
iitiijvrm — ii tlnii'.; liis officers, associated with hnu 
for vears, had never ivitucssed. 

" Jn the mcanw tide, Cjmmodove Conner wa.s cogi- 
tating over the most proper wav to compliment gen- 
eral lav lor. Having heard of his peculiar disregard 
of military dress, he concluded he -would make the 
visit in a manner comportin,! Jo General fa lor's 
habits, and consiquently equipped himself in plain 
whi e drillinu, ami, unattended, came ashore. 

"The moment that General lav lor heard that 
Commodore Conner had landed, he al)andiuied .some 
heavv work he w as personallv attendini; to about the 
camp, and piecipitatrlv nislied into his tent, delved 
at the lioltom of an old chi-<t, and pulled out a uni- 
form coat, tliat b;id peaceliillv sluuitK-red for vears 
in iMidiMurbeil ipiii tmle. ..^lippeil himself into tt. in 
Ids hasie fastening it so that one si>lc of the slamlinij 
collar wi-.s three buttonholes above the other, and 
sat liim<elf down as uncomfortalilv as can well be 
imagined With quiet step, and unattended. Com- 
modore Conner presented himself at General Fav- 
lor'stent. 1 he noble reiire.-entatives of the army 
and navy shook hands, both in exceeding asloiiish- 
mentat'cach idher's personal appearance. 

" The w aus of the armv sav that the above contains 
the onlv auiluulic account of General I avinr's ever 
being 'headed,' and that since that time, lie hiw 
taken to linen nuindubouts of the laryesl dimensions, 
with uiorc pertinacity than ever." 

Matamoras surrendered without a strug- 
gle, and the regimental bands struck up 
'• Yankee Doodle," as the '' stars and stripes" 



12 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



were raiscil npon Fort P.ircdcs. Had Gov- 
ernment supported the <xalliint hero who h:id 
thni! foiiiilit two pitched battles, and termi- 
nated a (•ampai<.'n in twelve days, he would 
have fontitmcd his victorious march. But 
Mr. I'olk was bent on jrivinjr " aid and com- 
fort " to the enemy, bv placing: Santa Anna 
at their head, and affonlinsr them time to . 
recruit their strenfrrli, by keepin;: General '■ 
Tavlor jnactive. When the newly raised ; 
volunteers did arrive, there were no means ; 
of transportation, and General Taylor was \ 
obliired to wait patiently, encampel on the i 
river bank. 

Samuel C. Reid. E«q. thus narrates a 
morninfj call at head-quarters : — 

" Caltinfr on the Commandinc Goneral soon after f 
our rocoverv, to ascertain the chance* of traiisporta- ,: 
tion, he remarked, after some pleasant conversation, ; 
that he was perfectlv dcluvred with letters, and tliat 
much of his f ime wa.s occupied In m.ikin? replies.— ; 
* And sir," said General 'I'avlor, sniiliniz. as ho handed ; 
ns two letters, • to show vou the diversitv of subjects : 
that I ain called upon to respond to, you mav look 
at these.' One of the letters was from a bo\-, four- 
teen v.-ars ofat'C. civin;.' a sort of history f f himself j 
andfamilv, and who desired to enlist in the ser\Mce, ;. 
and had written to the (Icneral to ask his advice on ■ 
thesutijcct; The other was from an Irish woman, ; 
who wanted to know if her son Mike wa% kilted, as j 
she had not heard from him since the late battles. [ 
We feel sure that such Utters would not have receiv- ; 
ed attention at Wushintrton, but both of them wore ; 
answered bv the (Jcneral, carrvins; out the maxim i 
that viilhing 1.5 bevealh the notice of a great man ; '. 
and we l-^it him, impressed with the great goodness ; 
of his heart.'' 

Good Whigs will take more interest in j 
reading; Colonel Haskell's account of a visit . 
to the same tent, in which General Taylor : 
boldlv declared his adiiesion to those n;ood 
old Wlii;r principles for which his father ) 
fouoht in the Revolution. We ojive Colonel ; 
HaskciPs " unvarnished tale," as reported ; 
from a speech he made in Georgetown, D.C. : ; 

" I have seen General Tavlor ;n storm and in sun- ; 
shine. I have seen him at home and in a foreivrn , 
land — under everv variotv of circumstance, ai\d I i 
the-rfiire know soniethini; about him. It has been i 
said that Gon. Tavlor is not a Whiu' 1 know belter. : 
And thev know hotter. He is a Wbi'j; not an ultra 
Whi;;. I wouM rather he should he a food, plain, '; 
t<imple, RtraiL'ht forward, reasonable Whli;, than a ; 
full ultra Whip. I recollect an Incident on this ! 
Fiibject, which, with vour permission, I will be plad '. 
lo toll vnu. (Cries of Go on — Go on.; I joined as : 
a private in the .\merican armvln the late Mexican ' 
war, and w.as landed at Brazos Santiajio. Well, ; 
there hoint' nothing' particular to do there, I thouj-'ht ; 
that I wo. lid not like to k« home without seeint; old 
Rou-_'h and Koadv, and that I would like to be able 
to pive soMio account, in writlm; home, of what kind 
of a man he was — in fact, who he was — where he ; 
was fnim - how old he was — who he had married - 
and what' as his politics. I set out. I went from : 
roint Isabel and pa.ssed over the battle tlelils of Kes- 
«ca ami I'alo Alto, now all under water, submer>.'ed. 
1 passo<l the battle L'round and had mv horse swlm- 
minK' — and at IcuKth I reached the camp at -Mala- 
moras. 

'• I hei/an to look out for the tent of General Tay- 
lor. Rut I must first state, from the mud and dirt — 
from the iuioo^isiliilitv of keepinu clean in Mexico, 
and tho probabllitv that I was the dirtiest white 
man tbal was ivcr seen in that countrv, that I could 
not expect nnnb. I mention this to show what kiml 
of a man the General was. I had imagined the Old 
Hero whose fame had spread abroad around the 
countrv, to be surrounded with scmie pomp and 
gplendor, and with all parapheriuilia of autlioritv and 

fower. Hut 1 could .see no s'uh marked distinction. 
'resentlv, | saw a vounn ofllcer ride un on a full 
blooded char^'or, and present with much for 11, a 
Report to a plain, countrv-lookinsj man, with an 
honest, blunt face. This, saiil I. must be Old Zach 
himself. .Sir, said I, have I the honor lo >ce Gen. 
Tavlor ? 1 am Gen. Tavlor, said he. I am a private, 
sir. and I have jireat plea.sure in seelns you, and wish 
to have a talk with you. I wiah to know how old 



vou are : where vou were bom : who did you mar- 
rv ; and what are vour politics ? I s.aw that he was 
the correct individual, and I coul.l talk ri^ht straixht 
before him. He asked mo to set down on the l)ench 
before the door. He said tliat he would tell me all 
that he knew, which, he said, would pass lor very 
little. And 1 asked him again to tell me, ami when 
ho i!ot through, savs I, (Jeneral, what is your poli- 
tics ? -Vnd he laui;hed a kind of quiot laui:h ( ut of 
his little eves, and he savs, I am a Whig and a 
(itAKTER oVKu! Well now, I had been latelv all 
over rennessce, electioneering' for llarrv of the West, 
and when 1 heard of I'alo Alio and Kesaea do la I'al- 
ma. th(m>;ht that perhaps the Old Hero wnjld bear 
the stars and stripes to victory in the next civil, as 
ho liad done in the military conte-t. .\nd when I 
heard tho old (Jeneral come out in that i lain, l)lunt 
wav, whv, in reliirn for it, I became aZacUary Tay- 
lor man and a quarter over." 

Steamers had been brought from the U. 
S., and General Taylor having occasion to 
go down to Point Isabel in one, granted a 
passage to a large number of discharged 
sick and wounded, and while he had a fine 
suite of state rooms, they were uncomforta- 
bly stowed away on deck. It was cold anil 
rainy, and General Taylor, finding that 
" the hoys " were suffering, ordered them to 
be placed in his state rooms, while he put 
on the " old biown coat," which n<cd to be 
famous in Florida, and went strolling about 
the boat, unknown to the crew. Tlic wind 
blew high, and the firemen had raised a sail 
in front of the boilers, to protect themselves 
from the rain, to the leeward of whicli Gen. 
Taylor lay down on an old mattress, brought 
up from the bunks to air. and was soon fast 
asleep. At supper time there was great 
enquiry for tlic Commander-in-Chief, but no 
one coulil tell where he was, until a waiter 
•asked a fireman. " I haven't seen no Gen- 
'ral," was the reply, " but there's a clever 
old fellow asleep by" the sail there." It was 
the con(iuering General of the Atnerican 
Army, slcejung in the open air, on the for- 
ward deck of a steamer, wliile his berth and 
room were occupird by poor sick soldiers — 
without rank, — but receiving his considera- 
tion because ihey had been disabled in the 
service of his country ! 

In September, General Taylor, (now full 

Major General, by .aet of Congress.) set out 

for Monterey, a city admirably ad.ipted to 

; defensive warfare. The streets being straight, 

: a few pieces of artillery can commanil their 

■ entire length, while the stone walls of the 
houses, rising above the roofs, they form 

', parapets for the protection of sharp shooters. 
Each dwelling is thus a separate castle, and 

• with the extensive forts, form one grand 

, fortification, suggested by nature ami con- 
summated bv art. Thou;:h unprovidcil with 
heavy artillery. General Taylor determined 
to carry the jdace by storm, and advancing 
boldly," came in sight of the town on the 
19th of September. The army, wrote a 
young soldier, werj in fine spirits, eacli vol- 
unteer's heart beating hi.di with tlie assui^ 
ance of viotoi-y. and longing for the hour to 
come which would crown them with distinc- 
tion, or sacrifice them to their country. 
Advancing in solid l)attalions, and moving 

; as it were like the ocean's swell, with the 

■ sun's rays glittering upon the arms of the 
' dark anil sen-ied ranks, and the briL'lit artil- 
i lery flashing in the midst, they formed a 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 13 

noble pajreantrv. As the army moved on, > tion of being superseded was designed more 
General Taylor and stall' were seen advanc- \ especially fur General Taylor than for Gen- 
ino- to the head of the column. A low mur- J eral Scutt ; hecaii^e Taylor was already in 
mur of admiration rose in the ranks as the \ the lield, had won three glorious haitles, 
General passed, bowing to both men and \ and was ready to go on with his cami)aiirn ; 
officers, who saluted him as he rode by. It \ whilst Scott was kept at Washington. With 
was reported that that invincible old man ! the specitic oliject, then, of degrading from 
was to lead them forth to battle, and while \ his well-earned rank the man whose won- 
all knew that there was a fearful jireponder- '^ derful resources had almost miraculously 
ance of numbers in the towu, tlie jmstu/e of i saved the arms of his country from disgrace 
a victorious name inspired an indomitable | on three several occasions, this proposition 
courage, which brought victory. \ for the creation of a Lieut. General (who, it 

To^describc the "storming of Monterey | afterwards a()i)earcd, was to be the famous 
would fill a volume, and then but an imper- | Thomas Hart Benton, of Missouri.) was 
feet idea could be given of this desperate \ placed before Congress. It was sustained 
and bloody conflict. Troops who had never \ in the Senate by Lewis Cass, who is now 
been in action before maintained a desperate J presented as the antagonist of the man upon 
struggle against a secret and inaccessible \ whom he then sought to inflict tlie deepest 
foe, fnirrowhig their way through the thick ; injury which can be visited upon a military 
■walls of the liouses, planting batteries on j oflicer. Will not every locer of /nace and 
almost inaccessible heights, and forcing the i humanity, by voting for General Taylor, en- 
enemy to sue for a cessation of hostilities. | dorse the capitulation of Monterey i 
Throughout the fight " Old Zach " had been \ We now come to the crowning victory of 
in the "most exposed situations, yet he was ; Buena Vista. After General Taylor had 
as cool and as calm as ever, though his men J been deprived of the tried regulars who had 
longed for the hour of revenge, and were at | received his own impress, a council of war 
firsrmaddened with disappointment on hear- was summoned, at which some said '• go on," 
ing that a capitulation had been granted. \ others " turn back ;" but General Taylor 
But what thought General Taylor '( mark \ was aware that if he ordered his raw volun- 
well bis words : " The result "would have \ tcers to retreat for protection to Monterey, 
been the escape of the body of the Mexican \ they would become panic-struck. So he 
force, with the destruction of its artillery \ took the responsibility, and said, "77/ «o( 
and magazines, our only advantage being i turn back — III fvjht him — the Council is 
the capture of a few prisoners of war, at the ^ adjourned until after the battle." The Mexi- 
expense of valuable lives and much damage to \ cans were twenty thousand strong, eom- 
the city. The consideration of riuM.\.NiTY | manded by their favorite Santa Anna, who 
was present to my mind during the confer- * had been graciously furnished by President 
cncc which led to the convention, and out- Polk for the occasion. But Taylor, the Peo- 
weighed in my judgment, the doubtful ad- } pie's General, though he might be rough, 
vanTages to be gained by a resumption of { proved himself ready for the President's 
the atTack upon the town."" ^ General, and his brave five thousand men 

President Polk formally disapproved of ; felt that the presence of " old Zach " was an 
General Tavlor's humane capitulation, but ; army in itself. The 22d of February— im- 
public opinion sustained him, and loudly J mortalizcd by the birth of him whose glory 
rebuked an iniquitous scheme for giving j' is a heritage worthy bold defence— brought 
some leading politician the supreme com- \ the armies in contact, and General Taylor 
mand over him. This was first announced \ was summoned to surrender. Kead his re- 
bv President Polk, in his message of the 4th \ ply. 

n'f T.inn-irv 1 Sd7 in wliicl. In- tolrl Con- '' He.uj-Quaetees, Army of Occupation. 

Ot Januar}, I!<4<,in Wlmll nu torn LOn- ^ Sear Buena Vi8ta, February 22,1847. 

gress that the large number of ine[ficient \ j,^^^. jn„plv toyournote of thisdatcsummoninc 

and incapable field ofliccrs had already " pro- ; mc fu surrender my forces at discretion, 1 beg leavti 

duced serious injury to the public service ; \ ^° *"^ ^^^^VKgl^TspS iXsi^^^^^^^ 

that, tliereforc, the number of officers '?« Me \ " your obedient ser\-ant, 

higher grades ^ must be increased; and es- > z. t.vylor, 

pecially, that the appointment of a general : MajorGencral U. S. Army, commanding, 

officer "to command the whole was indispen- I SenorGen. D. Astonio Lopez db Santa A.nsa, 

., ^ I IV • ^ ■ .- f .1 ; Commander-in-cluet, La tneantada. 

sable to an • efficient organization of the ; ^ 

armv.'" These suggestions can import ? The American army seemed endowed 
nothing but a charge of incompetency, not | with the real old Puritan spirit, and we are 
merely against a large number of the field ] told of a Methodist clergyman, commanding 
officers, but particularly against General i a Mississippi company, who, when about to 
Taylor and General Scott. The President's ; enter into action, lialted his men, stretched 
meaning was very distinctly disclosed in \ forth liis hands and prayed : " O Lord, who 
the House, by twoof his right hand support- ■ through thy servant Joshua commanded the 
ers, Messrs. Ficklin and Jacob Thompson, ; Sun to stand still upon Gibeon, and tha 
both of whom, in advocating the appoint- ; Moon in the valley of Ajalon, so do thou 
ment of a Lieutenant General, assailed those \ now be witli us, thy servants, and enable us 
officers, as being unfit to conduct the war, ■ to smite the greasers of Mexico, hip and 
and certainly unfit to conduct it with advan- ; thigh. So mote it be. — Amen. — Company, 
tage to the Democratic party. The degrada- \ frout face, forward march ! " The Kentucky 



14 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYLOR. 



volunteers, who liad been proini-cil a rliance ', 
'to (lance l>y tlieir own music," pcifornied < 
prodifries of valor, and three successive times j 
recovered their 11a;; when it wa« captured. ; 
" Tiiat fla;: went down to the hirht all <,'ay 
ami ^littcritif: in heauty, like a hride array- 
ed for the weddinj; — but it came hack "to ■ 
Kentucky all tattered and soiled — like that - 
hride returnin;j: to her father's home a wid- ; 
ow, whose brow was wrinkled l)y years of ; 
sorrow and corrodinjj care in the roup;h jos- j 
tic of life — hut the more welcomed for the j 
trials endured." The AVhij; flag will yet i 
float in triumph over the Hero of Buena \ 
Vista, whose personal conduct during that • 
important struggle is thus described by ( 
Lieutenant Corwin : — ] 

" .\t n time whon the fortunes of llic (lay secmi'd > 
extreiTielv (inilileinatk-al — wlien niHiiv of our side ■ 
fveii(li'S|iairc(l nf suciess — tlie (ieiuTal took his po- >. 
Sitinii 0:1 a eommaiuliiif; height, overlooicinp tlic two j 
armies. I his was about tliree or perliaps four o'clock { 
ill the afternoon. The enemy, who had succeedeil in ; 
gainini; an advaniageous position, made a tierce \ 
cliargp u]) n our column, and fiju;;ht witli a dcspera- , 
tioi] that ■iccMird for a time to injure success to their 
arni^. Tlic strutyle lastnl for some lime. All tlie 
vliilc lieneral laylor was a silent spectator, his 
countenance e.xliil itinjitlie most anxious solicitude, 
alternating hetween hope and despondency. His 
stall, perceiving his perilous situation, (for he was ex- 
posed to the tire of the enemy,) approaclied him and 
implored liiin to retire. He heeded them not. His 
thoughts were intent upon victory or defeat. He 
knew not at this moment what the result would be. 
He felt that that engagement was to decide his fate. 
He had given all liis orders and selected bis position. 
If the day went avainst liim lie was irretrievablv 
lost ; If for liim, he could rejoice in common with 
his countrymen, at the triumphant success of our 
arms. 

" Such seemed to be liis thoughts — his determina- 
tion. And when he saw the eiieuiy give way and re- 
treat in the utmost cuiifusion, ho gave free vent to 
Ills pent-up Icelings. His right leg was quickly dis- 
engaged from tlie pommel ol the sa Idle, where it liad 
remained iliiniig the whole of the liercc encounter — 
liis arms, wliirb were calmlv folded over his breast, 
relaxed their bold — bis feet fairly danced in the stir- 
rups, and bis whole bodv was in motion. It was a ! 
moment ol the nio-t exciting and intense interest. \ 
His face was sulfused with tears. The day was won i 
— tlic victory complete- his little army saved from ; 
the di<;;race of a defeat, and he could not refrain \ 
from wee|)lng for joy at what had seemed to so many, } 
but a moment bi'foi-e, as an impossiile result. Long i 
may the noble and Uiiul-bearled old hero live to en- s 
joy the honors of his numerous and brilliant victo- \ 
rics, and many other honors lli:it a yratel'ul country J 
will ere long bestow upon liim." > 

Twice the sun rose and set on the contend- ; 
ing armies, '' ere the red field was won," and 

the standard of the liepulilic waved triumph- , 

antly in North Mexico. I^/ong will Buciia [ 

Vista be remembered in the history of our , 

country, for on no page is as yet recorded ; 

so deadly a struggle, fought against such ; 

fearful odds. Coming ages will muse upon | 

its important issues, its terrilile changes, its ; 

Biekening slaughter, with astonishment and i 

awe — and the name of liim who won it i 

will be inscribed liigli uiion the Temiile of \ 

American Glory. We cannot close this ; 

imperfect account of liis military life, in ] 

words more felicitous and elotpient than are • 

to be found in tiie following e.\tract from ^ 

a sermon, preached by the Rev. Burdet Hart. .; 

Pastor of the Congregational Church, in | 
Fairhaven, Conn. : — 

" We have seen an offlccr, whose name was almost j 
unknown, who at the earlv age of ciglileen entered 
the army of llie Inited States as a lieutenant of ( 
Infanlrv, who in the war of 181i and in the Florida j 
tanipaigiis displavcU llic qualities of heroic during <, 



and soldiery science, which have since been matured 
to A perfect develoiiment, taking the foremost posi- 
tiim among tlic Caiitalns of this or auv otiier age. — 
Urave in the liour of danger, humane in the moment 
of victory, kind and courageous in the varied scene* 
of Iiis warrior-life, he possesses the qaalities which 
attract tlie altentiuii, and demand the admiration 
of mankind. I'l.iin, almost to anexc<'ss, in his man- 
ners and costume, he still commands the homage and 
confidence of his troops Impressed with tlie senti- 
ment of his own invincibility, they never waver in 
the fiercest conflicts, and under liis guiding genius 
fresh recr.iits bear to the battle-field the cool courage 
and unawed s,]irit of vitcrans. In the battles of I'alo 
Alto and Itesaea de la I'alma, along the blazing lines 
at the storming (jf -Moiitere-'. and amid tlie b.Ioody 
and terrilile scenes of l$uena Vista, he still displays 
the same fruiltnliiess of resource and energy in a'.:tion, 
which distinguish the great commander. His bril- 
liant victories liave lieen heralded through the land, 
and the name, which nineteen months ago, was 
hardly known and hardly uttered, has been heard on 
every lii), and uttered with all the famillaritv of a 
lioiiseliold word. Already he has gained to his ad- 
vocacy and support, a vast amount of infiuencc and 
worth for the highest position in the gift of a free peo- 
ple, and at times has seemed likelv to unite in hanno- 
nv the conflicting elements which sunder the politi- 
cal world. The waTior chieftains of Kurope, dazzled 
with his deeds and astonished at his success, have 
followed his victorious course with entliusiasm and 
admiration, although in its origi'.iality and bidilness 
it has overthrown their principles of warfare, and 
demolished that science which ages of experience had 
treasured." 

AVe h.ive now sketched the unobtrusive 
career of General Taylor, up to the close of 
his campaigns in Me.xico, comprising near- 
ly half a Pentury of faithful pulilic service, 
during which he has imperceptibly mould- 
ed himself into that character of which 
Washington was the prototyjie. Upon our 
wild Western frontiers, in the swamps of 
Florida or the cha|)pai-als of Mexico, whcrc- 
cver the exigencies of the Republic have 
called him, from boyhood to old age, his life 
has been devoted to his country — his only- 
reward has been the glory reflected from 
her happiness ami security. But wjun the 
attention of xiiii people was directinl to- 
wanls him by his crowning achievements in 
Mexico, they determined to bestow upon 
him the highest ollice in their power — not 
merely as a reward for past good service — 
but that his patriotism, integrity, and ca- 
pacity qualified him to lead them in an 
iitteinpt to relieve the Republic from that 
maelstrom of ruin and corruption, into 
which a disastrous administration has plung- 
ed it, and thus fill the measure of his glory. 
Ilail Washington never been invested with 
civil olhco, his military virtues and achieve- 
ments would, with few exceptions, have 
been the only portions of his life treasured 
in the memory of his countrymen ; and it 
was thouo-lit that Taylor could con()uer 
Gi-neral Misrule, with as much ease as he 
vanquished General Santa Anna. A man 

" Firm of word. 

Speaking in deeds, and deedless in his tongue ;" 

liis jiast life was rich in promise that if 
elected President of the United States, his 
civil career would, by its exhibition of judg- 
ment, wisdom and vigor, be a more imjierish- 
ablc monument than his military triumiihs. 
The mails which carried to Mexico news- 
jiapers from every section of the Union, 
filled with accounts of the brilliant victories 
at Palo Alto, Resaca de la I'alina, Monterey 
and Buena Vista, were burthened with hun- 
dreds of letters to their hero, a very large 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACIIAKY TAYLOR. 



15 



i" As regards bolii? a candidate for the Prcsl'Uncy 
at tlie coming cliitiiiii, 1 have no iispiratiDiis in tliat 
wav, anil n jli-cl tlir sulijcct Ims been ajiitalcd at tills 
earlv dav, and tliat it iiad luit been dcfi-iTcd until liic 
cl'sc ol'tlii.s war, or iinlii tlic (iid ot'tlip next sc»niun 
} of Congress, es|ieciall,v if lam to be mixed n|) wiih 
j it, as it is possible it may lead to tl:e injiny of tlie 
( piildic service in tills quarter, by niv ip|iir;itiniis bc- 
! iny embarrassed, as well as produce mudi e.sciieijient 
S ill tlie country, >;ruwiiij.' out of tlie discussii^n of the 
> merits, Ac, of tbe dillercnt aspirants lor that lii-h 

< ottice, wliieli mivlit have been very mucli allayed, If 
i not prevented, bad tli(> subject been deferred, as 1 
J suK^ested : l)esides, verv many clianKes mav take 
) place between now and 1848. so mueli so, as to make 
i it flesiiable for tlie interest of the country, tliat some 

< other individual tliaii myself, better fitialilled for the 
j situation, sliould be Belceted; and could tie be elect- 
\ ed, i would not only acquiesce in i-ui h arran|<e- 
J nient, but wmiid rejoice that the liepiibiic bail one 

citizen, and no doubt there arc thousands, more 
deserving than I ain, and better qualilieil todisihar^e 
the duties of said ottice. If I have been named by 
others and considered a candidate tor the I'residency, 
it li:i9 been by no agency of mine in the matter; and 
if the good people think mc services imiiortaiit in 
that station, and elect me, 1 will feel bound to serve 
tliein, and all the pledges and explanations I can 
enter into and make, as regards this or that policy, 
is, tliat 1 will do so honestly and faithfully, to the best 
of my abilities, strictly in conformance with the 
Constitution." 

Thou^ih he had been induced to believe 
simUarity of tone between this and one of | that " old things had passed away " to such 
General Harrison's letters, when he was an extent that a " no Party " President could 
first spoken of in connexion with the Presi- be elected, General Taylor never renounced 
dency, is also to be found in the subsequent \ the Republican principles which he had ac- 
letters of each. Both were endeared to the j quired in early youth. "I have no hesita- 
people, on account of their unimpeached tion in stating," he wrote to Col. Mitchell, 
integrity and faithful public services — both " as I have stated on former occasions, that 
had^iiven guarantees, by their past conduct, | I am a Whig, though not an ultra one ; and 
that They would, if elected, use all the con- } that / have no desire to conceal this /'act from 
stitutional means of the government to re- ! any portion of tlie ]<eople of the United StutesP 
store the paralyzed prosperity of the country And what better Whig doctrine can be found 
— and both, (as their letters published side than is embraced in the following compila- 
by side in the newspapers show,) entertained | tion from his letters ? — 

the same Republican political views. \ "The power given by the constitution to the Kx- 

Far away from home, and surrounded by \ ecutive, to interpose his veto, is a high cnseivative 



proportion of them from persons unknown 
to him or to his officers. Some of the wri- 
ters complimented the General on his gal- 
lant soldiership, others requested his auto- 
graph, but most of them \vishcd him to 
become a candidate for the l'i-esidency, and 
tendered their siiiijiort. often hinting that a 
" consideration " would be demanded when 
he was in the White House. These would- 
be officials were treated with the silent con- 
tempt they deserved, and with that modesty 
which ever accompanies true merit, it was 
a long time before General Taylor would 
even listen to the calls from higher sources. 
" For the high honor and responsibilities of 
the Presidency," he wrote on the 18th of 
May, 1847, "I take occasion to say, I have 
not" the slightest aspiration ; a much more 
tranquil and satisfactory life, after the ter- 
mination of my present duties, awaits me, I 
trust, in the society of my family and par- 
ticular friends, and in the occupations most 
congenial to my wishes." The striking 



political renegades and other creatures of 
the President, who manifested a despicable 
jealousy of his rising fame, General Taylor 
was at "first misled as to ])ublic opinion in 
the United States. He was induced to be- 
lieve that a jiolitical millenium was at hand, 
and that the masses, weary of partizan strife, 
wished to shake off all old associations, and 
elect a People's President. If thus called to | 
the Chief Magistracy, General Taylor cher- | 
ished the idea that "he could follow in the \ 
footsteps of Washington, and (says that true ! 
Whig, Thurlow Weed.) there was much in ; 
his chara('ter and much in his pursuits that J 
led him to entertain such aspirations. Like \ 
Washington he had been trained to arms. | 
Like Washington, he i.-> a man of lofty pat- \ 
riotism, of mathematical integrity, and of ; 
stainless virtue. ; 

Neither would it have been well for the ! 
General of an army, " serving in the field | 
against a common enemy," to have taken a ; 
position in direct ojiposition to his com- j 
mander-in-chiof. Fully occupied with his \ 
responsilile duties, and far removed from ! 
the political arena, it is not at all strange j 
that General Taylor wished to do what he ) 
was told he might do : " go into the office ! 
untrammelled, and be the chief magistrate \ 
of the nation, and not of a party." His j 
ideas at this time are clearly set forth, and 
merit perusal : \ 



power, which should never be exercised except in 
casesof clear violation of theconstitutinn, or manifest 
haste and want of consiileration by Congress. " 

" the personal opinions of the individual who may 
happen to occupy the hxecutive chair, ought not to 
control the action of Congress upon questions of do- 
mestic policv, nor ought liis objections to be interpos- 
ed where questions of constitutional power have been 
settled by the various departments of government, 
and acquiesced in by the people." 

" I'pon the subjects of the tariff, the currency, thf 
improvements of our great highways, rivei-s, lake, 
and harbors, the will of the people, as expn'SS'd 
through their representatives in Congress, ough' to 
be respected, and carried out by the hxecutive." 

" War, at all times, and under all circuinsta ices, 
is a national calamity, to be avoided, if ciini atible 
•with national lioiior. 1 he principles of our jjovem- 
nient, as well a.s its true policy, are oppose 1 to the 
subju-ation of otliernations, and the dismembcnnent 
of other countries by conquest, for, in the language 
of the great Washington, ' why should we quit our 
own, to stand on foreign ground? ' " 

Returning to the United States, and freed 
from the restraint imposed upon him. Gen- 
eral Taylor found that the political millen- 
nium was yet a long way off, and that the 
Administration was mustering its janizaries 
for the coming campaign, scattering, in its 
recruiting service, the public treasure with a 
prodigality unparalleled in the history of 
the Republic. The country whose honor 
he had so bravely defended, was in an em- 
barrassed state, having spent, in prosecuting 
the war to which he was opposed, one hun- 
dred and Jive millions of dollars .' Manufac- 
tures were depressed, confidence was shaken, 
the arm of industry was piralyzed. And 
why ? Had not the times arrived contem- 



F 



16 



LIFE OF GEN. ZACHARY TAYI 



plated in the following extract from Wasli- 

ington : — 

" III a country like this, where equal liberty is 
enjoved, where everv man may roap his own harvest, 
wliich, i>y proper attention, will aflord him much 
inoru llian is necessary lor liis own consumption, 
and where thi-re is so ample a ileld for mercantile and 
luechaiiical csertioii, il'tliere cannot be found money 
sufficient it the loiiiuioii purposes uf life, not to 
uiciition the necessary commercial circulation, it is 
evident there is something' amiss in the ruling politi- 
cal power, which reriuiresasleadv, regulating, ener- 
getic, honest hand to correct and control. Every 
man's esperiencc will tell him when such a state of 
tilings exists ; the most melancholy and uneQUivocal 
proof of it being a general JaU in the price <'/ prop- 
trly." 

This " ruling political power," with its 
hireling legions, General Taylor evidently 
saw could only be routed by the Whig par- 
ty, that glorious band wliich defeated the 
Tories in 1776, and the Locofocos in 1840. 
We accordingly Knd him writing on the 20th 
of May, 1848," to Messrs. Winchester and 
Saundciv, two of his neighbors and friends, 
who were delegates to the Whig National 
Convention, — '• / cannot withdraw my own 
name, for / did not place myself before the 
people as a candidate. But my friends can 
witbdraw ine, and in such withdrawal I 
shall cheerfully ac(iuiesce." He stated that 
lie recognized in the Louisiana Delegation 
friends who were authorized to withdraw 
him. And in conclusion he expressed the 
hope that his friends would go into the Whig 
National Convention " pledged heart and 
soul " to the support of its nominee, adding 
that the nominee would have his best wishes 
for success. 

This placed General Taylor before the 
Whigs of the Union as a candidate for their 
.suffrages; and o the many proofs of his 
true Wliig principles, was added the testi- 
mony of the veneiaiile Col. John Johnston, 
of Upper Piqua, Ohio, a delegate from Mi- 
ami county to the Whig Convention, as he 
had been to Ilarrisburg, in 1840, and to Bal- 
timore in 1844. Intimately acquainted with 
General Taylor for many years, he distinct- 
ly :tatcd, tiiatlic iiad heard General Taylor 
dec'ire, with much force, that he regarded 
slavc'-y as a great evil to the country, and 
cxprcjs a strong hope that the time might 
arrive when we could get rid of it altogether. 
Col. Johnston also declared his (irmest con- 
viction, t.'iat General Taylor ''is the last man 
to countenance its being extended to any 
new territory that may be brought into the 
Union.'' 

The delegai?-s to the Whig National Con- 
vention were chosen by tlic Whig voters, 
and no one can dispute their title to repre- 
sent the Whig parry. It appeared, on bal- 
lotino, that tlicre \vcra two hundred and 
eighty votes ; and of these, one hundred and 
sixly-eiijht — beinri a clear majority of fifty-six 
votes ov( r those cast by the Southern deleyates, 
and twetilq-nine more tJian irere necessary to 
c/ioose a candidate — wer£ cast by Northern del- 
egatvi. These Northern delegates rniV/A^ have 
nominated Webster, Clay, Scott, Corwin,or 
McLean, as they " held, the game " in their 
own hands ; biit they ri-^fused to unite on 
any one of these gentler.'jcn, and then sixty- 




:>.ofthemsee....?..®.^l 897 583 2 
; Taylor. Nor were these votes from any 
particular section of the North. Maine 
gave him 5; New- Hampshire, 2 ; Massa- 
chusetts,!; Vermont, 2: Khode-Island, 4 ; 
Connecticut, 3 ; New-York, C; New-Jersey, 
4; Pennsylvania, 12; Ohio, 1; Indiana. 7; 
Illinois, 8 ; Michigan, 2 : Iowa, 4 ; and Wis- 
consin, 4. General Taylor is thus not only 
the Whig candidate, but the candidate of the 
Northern Whiys. 
• The position of the delegates at Phila- 
j delphia was one of high responsiliility. — 
; Each man had doubtless his sectional pride 
and personal feelings to influence him. hut 
tliere was an overruling consideration. The 
. enemy was in possession of the capitol — 
under whom could a change be effected ? 
\7ho was there with pure integrity, tried 
patriotism, high abilities and known princi- 
ples, who could rally the Whig forces, and 
inspire them with conlidence ? As in 1840, 
the Convention followed the example of the 
ancient Romans, and sought an American 
; Cincinnatus, whose disinterested virtues, 
simplicity of manners, and long public ser- 
vices, had won for him a reputation, which, 
in the hour of peril, filled the hearts of his 
;. countrymen, and sent them to seek him in 
' his trancjuil home, to offer him the chief 
\ command of the Republic. They could say 
; of him as they did of Harrison — the history 
, of his life, as inscribed on the records of his 
I country, is his recommendation — we have 
( selected him because we know him liy his 
\ deeds — we feel positive that a civic wreath 
will be added to the victorious crowns of 
him who "never surrenders." 

Such h.as been the life, (as fiir as we have 
been hastily alile to compile it,) of Zacuary 
Taylor, who, still enjoying his untarnished 
: fame, and occupying a position where the 
J shafts of envy and malice cannot reach him, 
, was nominated as the Whig Candidate for 
: the Presidency — and recommended for the 
cordial support of every Whig. Some few, 
who had their certificates of desertion ready, 
let who would be nominated, chose to leave 
the party to whose generous conlidence 
; they owed every thing; but, continuing to 
\ follow the example of Arnold, they went 
; over to the enemy alone. The great Whig 
army remain in the ranks where their fa- 
; tilers contiucred, dcs]>ite of individual trea- 
I son, and hail the nomination with shouts 
\ that reverberate from the rocky coast of 
New England to the orange groves of Flor- 
? ida, mingle with the rushing sound of the 
Mississippi's wafers, and blend with every 
breeze that swcejis over the western prairies. 
Shoulder to 'boulder, the Whigs of the 
Union will march to the battle and the vic- 
tory, under their star-spangled banner — an 
" Army of Occupation, bent on placing 
their leader in the White House on the 
fourth of March next. Proudly docs that 
\ flag wave, now that it is inscribed with the 
; name of Zaciiauy Tavlok, for he has ever 
I sustained its glory. 

Stact, Kicbardsox a Co., Printbrb, Uostos. 



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HOLUNGER 
pH 8.5 

MILL RUN F3-1543 



